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It seems numeracy is not a strength of any of those from the ‘one source of truth’ we are asked to believe without question or concern. The podium of truth is more one of deceit, shown so many times to provide nothing but propaganda and spin – and downright lies.
It is difficult to understand the thinking behind Ashley Bloomfield’s rationale around hospital admissions and Covid reporting numbers. Is it a Covid-based admission or is it not?
It is tempting to think that Covid status on one’s admission to hospital would be a significant question routinely asked. However, the Director General of Health assures us this is not so and that the reason for a patient’s admission is established on discharge, not admission.
Dr Bloomfield said it has been difficult to obtain the data because the reason for a patient’s admission to hospital is recorded when they are discharged.
The actual number of COVID-related hospitalisations, according to Bloomfield’s estimate (msn.com)
When asked what the numbers actually were, he responded, “Around 75%”, but that was a figure estimated by the Ministry and Dr Bloomfield. We were not told on what basis that percentage was estimated, which makes it reasonable to assume that it is actually a guesstimate based on overseas figures.
In a statement backed up by the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Health echoed Dr Bloomfield’s comments in an official statement, telling Newshub while it’s not clear exactly how many cases are actually in hospital for COVID, estimates suggest it’s around three-quarters.
“We are developing a way to collect and report this data. We have one estimate that about three-quarters of reported hospitalisations are due to COVID-19 symptoms and the rest have COVID-19 ‘incidentally’. This is similar to the proportions reported from a US hospital study published last week.
“In countries like Denmark currently it about 60 percent to 70 percent. The Ministry of Health is also unable to comment on whether hospitalised people have COVID-19 or other symptoms as we do not hold that level of detail about patients.”
The actual number of COVID-related hospitalisations, according to Bloomfield’s estimate (msn.com)
Wouldn’t you think that in a pandemic the capture and reporting of the information that provides the pandemic data might be of at least passing interest? That a basic level of detail about patients would be available and would be accessible for reporting? Not, it seems, here in New Zealand.
So non-Covid admissions still find their way into the Covid admission figures. Incomprehensible.
If an admission is for knee replacement surgery, will it be counted as a Covid admission if upon discharge they have caught Covid while on the ward?
If patients are not tested on admission but are on discharge, will they be counted as being a Covid admission even if they entered the hospital for a completely different reason? It seems likely that our very own Kiwi Count von Count will count them anyway.
Do we even know what he is counting and what he is not?
Throughout the Covid years the level of reporting has been under scrutiny and you’d think that by now the Director-General of Health and the Ministry of Health would have seen the need for accuracy, completeness, relevance, timeliness and reliability.
They have demonstrated that they provide none of those characteristics of high quality data.
It is a bit rich that they supply poor quality data and accuse the questioners amongst us of following mis- and mal- information (theirs, in many instances).
It is completely unacceptable that we are unable to trust this most basic information and data.
To add insult to injury, on March 10th, the government announced:
It will be changing how it reports Covid-19-related deaths from today.
“Deaths will automatically be reported if the person died within 28 days of a positive test result, the same system many countries are using around the world, including in the UK.
“The deaths will be broken into three categories:
* Where Covid-19 is the clear cause of death (to date there are 34 deaths in this category).
* Where a person is found to have had Covid-19 when they died but it was not the cause of death (there are 2 deaths so far in this category).
* When a person is known to have had Covid-19 when they died but their cause of death is not known (there are currently 48 deaths in this category).
“With the new reporting, over the past two weeks there have been an additional nine deaths that have not yet been announced and the total number of Covid-19 deaths is therefore 91.”
Covid-19 update: 21,015 new community cases, 845 people in hospital, 16 in ICU (msn.com)
And then:
Dr Bloomfield said on Thursday (March 10) the Ministry of Health would from now on report COVID-related deaths in three categories to provide more clarity about the impact of the coronavirus in New Zealand.
“I’d like to explain some changes to our reporting of COVID-related deaths. From today we will be moving to a new reporting approach. We will automatically report all who die within 28 days of testing positive for COVID-19”, Dr Bloomfield said in Wellington.
“This is the approach that’s used by the UK and many other countries and is the one that we will and have used for our official reporting to the World Health Organisation.
“Reported COVID-related deaths will now be split into those clearly caused by COVID-19, those who died with COVID-19 but for whom the virus was not the cause of death, and those with COVID whose cause of death is still under investigation.”
The actual number of COVID-19 deaths revealed as Government changes ‘reporting approach’ (msn.com)
So why was the reporting method to the WHO different from that to New Zealand?
They continue to move the goalposts. It seems there has not been a straightforward way through the reporting of Covid numbers at any stage and the parameters and processes are changed at their behest. What will they decide next?
This is a ridiculous and cynical manipulation of information that has provided shonky data to a gullible public. If we cannot believe what should be objective data, how can we be expected to follow the subjective measures and mandates that are based on that dodgy data?
And then, drum roll, the actual number was revealed.
“The number of deaths clearly caused by COVID-19 is 34”, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield has revealed, as the Government changes its ‘reporting approach’.
The actual number of COVID-19 deaths revealed as Government changes ‘reporting approach’ (msn.com)
Which is it? 91 or 34? It can’t be both. Talk about muddled maths!
David Seymour has called Chris Hipkins out on the isolation time required.
“Businesses are suffering a virtual lockdown, some shopkeepers are lucky to get a few customers a day because people are in fear. The Government is trying to change how the courts work because they can’t get juries when people are too scared to come to a selection. The real answer is to get rid of unworkable isolation rules, and it’s been the answer for two months now.
“The Government should follow either the CDC’s advice for Americans, being a five-day isolation period, or the Singaporean model, 72 hours isolation and out with a negative test.”
Four COVID-related deaths, 22,454 new cases, 742 people in hospital (msn.com)
But Chris Hipkins has it that there is no evidence with which to support a less-than-seven-day embargo on daily life.
Hipkins said at this point the isolation period won’t be brought down further from seven days as there isn’t any evidence to support that.
Four COVID-related deaths, 22,454 new cases, 742 people in hospital (msn.com)
So what evidence did the US and Singapore base their decisions on?
The government shows us over and over again that it cannot be trusted and we cannot believe a word it says or its numbers.
