Arugula
Member
I have been seeing a lot of people spreading this misinterpretation of COVID statistics (including a people in my personal life who should know better and I don't feel are acting in good faith)
Source: https://twitter.com/TRHLofficial/status/1300292247674662913
Source: https://twitter.com/pastorlocke/status/1300282148281352192
Including the President of the United States, which Twitter later removed:

Here is the primary source they are referring to: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/...9tOHPGAHWFVO3DfslkJ0KsDEPQpWmPbKtp6EsoVV2Qs1Q
First of all, this data a report of death certificates, which list out all conditions and complications that contributed to a person's death. If you aren't familiar, a death certificate is a pretty much standardized form, with many slots to put all causes of death. Here is an example: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/blue_form.pdf Doctors are to report the chain of events - diseases, injuries, complications, that directly led to the death, as well as other contributing factors. These are what's known as Comorbidities. There can be many comorbidities contributing to a person's death, but each person is only given one death certificate.
The space can include chronic conditions, like hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, because these are otherwise survivable conditions that add to complications causing COVID-19 deaths. Likewise, if someone develops a condition like respiratory failure, pneumonia, heart attack, kidney failure, etc - these are developed due to COVID-19. The human body is one organism, and you can not disaggregate a condition to blame it on one thing, and not the other. A person can have hypertension for years, then contract COVID and it causes cause heart inflammation, which can lead to a heart attack, and a person ultimately dying of cardiac arrest. All 3 conditions contributed to their death and would be listed on their death certificate.
Revisiting table 3, hopefully the chart now makes more sense:
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/...9tOHPGAHWFVO3DfslkJ0KsDEPQpWmPbKtp6EsoVV2Qs1Q
It's also important to note that this is not new or controversial information, the CDC has made this concept very clear from the beginning. For example, here is President Trump himself speaking at the very first coronavirus taskforce meeting (March 13th), saying that people with underlying health conditions are the most at risk:
Source: https://youtu.be/DeTYINvuWM4?t=1797
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing...rs-coronavirus-task-force-press-conference-3/
It is important keep everything in perspective, because you or people you interact with may have existing comorbidities that you are not aware of. If you want to learn more about how COVID-19 itself does to the body, here is a good easy-to-read explainer:
https://www.healthing.ca/diseases-a...nd-side-effects/how-covid-19-attacks-the-body
Source: https://twitter.com/TRHLofficial/status/1300292247674662913
Source: https://twitter.com/pastorlocke/status/1300282148281352192
Including the President of the United States, which Twitter later removed:
Here is the primary source they are referring to: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/...9tOHPGAHWFVO3DfslkJ0KsDEPQpWmPbKtp6EsoVV2Qs1Q
First of all, this data a report of death certificates, which list out all conditions and complications that contributed to a person's death. If you aren't familiar, a death certificate is a pretty much standardized form, with many slots to put all causes of death. Here is an example: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/blue_form.pdf Doctors are to report the chain of events - diseases, injuries, complications, that directly led to the death, as well as other contributing factors. These are what's known as Comorbidities. There can be many comorbidities contributing to a person's death, but each person is only given one death certificate.
The space can include chronic conditions, like hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, because these are otherwise survivable conditions that add to complications causing COVID-19 deaths. Likewise, if someone develops a condition like respiratory failure, pneumonia, heart attack, kidney failure, etc - these are developed due to COVID-19. The human body is one organism, and you can not disaggregate a condition to blame it on one thing, and not the other. A person can have hypertension for years, then contract COVID and it causes cause heart inflammation, which can lead to a heart attack, and a person ultimately dying of cardiac arrest. All 3 conditions contributed to their death and would be listed on their death certificate.
Revisiting table 3, hopefully the chart now makes more sense:
It's also important to note that this is not new or controversial information, the CDC has made this concept very clear from the beginning. For example, here is President Trump himself speaking at the very first coronavirus taskforce meeting (March 13th), saying that people with underlying health conditions are the most at risk:
Source: https://youtu.be/DeTYINvuWM4?t=1797
It is important keep everything in perspective, because you or people you interact with may have existing comorbidities that you are not aware of. If you want to learn more about how COVID-19 itself does to the body, here is a good easy-to-read explainer: