The mainstream media trumpets the number of total COVID-19 cases in the state every time it increases more than usual.
A number that isn’t reported very often – perhaps because the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) only reports the number once week, on Mondays, and it isn’t obvious on the COVID-19 Dashboard – are the number of people who have recovered from COVID-19.
That Monday number is available under “Reports” on the NCDHHS COVID-19 Dashboard, similar to the way that deaths can be found if you look under “Cases” and check the boxes for deaths.
The number of “recovered” keeps increasing, just like the number of cases keeps increasing.
For Monday, July 27, the number people who have recovered from COVID-19 listed by NCDHHS is 92,302. The total number of COVID-19 deaths reported is 1,790. The total number of cases reported since March is 114,338.
That means that the total number of active cases in the state is 20,246.
When you consider the state has a population of 10.5 million, having 20,246 active cases of COVID-19 doesn’t sound like nearly as many as the case total constantly reported by NCDHHS, which currently stands at 114,338.
Another figure that NCDHHS reports but hides is the number of COVID-19 deaths, which has been on a downward trend since it hit its peak on May 25 with 33 deaths. There is a lag in reporting deaths and the last date for which NCDHHS considers the number of deaths accurate is July 13, when 10 deaths were reported. The week of July 7 to July 13 there were a total of 105 COVID-19 deaths reported, an average of 15 per day. The week of May 25 to May 31 there were a total of 165 COVID-19 deaths reported, an average of 23.5 deaths per day. The decrease in the number of deaths per week from the last week in May to the week of July 7 to July 13 is 36 percent.
Another encouraging figure is that, since July 13 when 10 percent of the tests were positive, the rate of positive results has been 7 percent or 8 percent. So for the past 13 days the rate of positive tests has not been above 8 percent.
With both the fatality rate and the percentage of positive cases trending down, and the total number of active cases in the state at 20,248, it would appear the state is headed in the right direction.
Fascinating read, John Hammer. It’s interesting that there are about 10.5 million people in the state of North Carolina. With 20,246 active cases, as reported here, less than 0.2% of the state currently has COVID. That would indicate 99.98% currently do not have a COVID diagnosis. Is that really enough to halt schools and keep our economy mostly shut down??
I did some checking of my own and according to the state, there are a little over 2,000 active cases in Guilford County (population approximately 590,000). Current active cases = 0.34%. People who do not have an active case = 99.66%. Astounding numbers if you look at it from that perspective but it never, ever is reported this way. I see a glass half-full/half-empty scenario here.
It sure is astounding how we get the total case numbers and very little transparency about the active cases. It’s time the media starts reporting the real numbers, and we need to start calling them on it. Thanks to The Rhino for occasionally addressing these issues. The media needs to be honest and dig a little deeper into the data. How many of the total cases are people who have received a positive antibody test? How does the state/county record those numbers, or do they record the positive antibody tests at all? Do they tack those numbers onto the current daily total and then automatically consider them “recovered?” I’m curious about the people who have tested positive and were not hospitalized. How sick were they? Are we keeping track of this because that kind of data would go long way into tamping down the collective freak-out and would shed insight into how the disease truly is affecting us, both in North Carolina and the US. I get the strong feeling there are strategic forces out there that really don’t want us to know that. I encourage your readers to keep asking questions, and I highly expect The Rhino will do the same.
Sorry about my typo in the first paragraph. I mean 99.8%. I got a little crazy typing 9s. Still, it’s a huge number of people without a COVID-19 diagnosis.
I would like to know which of the follow statements you disagree with:
1) Viruses exist and humans can be infected by them.
2) SARS CO V 2 is transmitted between people, and causes the disease COVID 19 in humans.
3) 4.29M Americans have tested positive for it
4) 148k Americans that have tested positive have died
5) Approximately 3.4 out of every 100 people that have tested positive have died.
6) Everything a person says or does that directly or indirectly results in more people testing positive, will make that person at least partially responsible for killing 3.4 out of every 100 people they influence.
7) We don’t want to kill people.
I would also like to know if you think this article and your post are more likely to increase the number of positive cases, or decrease them and why. Also, could you have written something more effective at lowering the rate of increase in new cases, and why didn’t you?
I guess I’m being asked to take the bait again.
These are from today’s numbers:
For the US population, 3.4 percent of positive cases have died. The positive cases represent 1.3 percent of the total population. The deaths represent 0.045% of the total population.
In North Carolina, 1.5 percent of positive cases have died. The positive cases represent 1.1 percent of the population. Those who have died represent 0.018 percent of the total population.
Here in Guilford County, 2.8 percent of the positive cases have died. The positive cases represent 0.8 percent of the total population, while deaths equal 0.02 percent of the total population.
You notice how when the media and the state reports on this, they divulge cumulative and daily death numbers, but rarely do they report the active cases. They also indicate the numbers in relation to the whole population through a metric of 10,000 people. Why not list it as percentages? I guess by doing it their way, it appears more scary.
Clearly whitdawg has missed all of my points but go ahead and insinuate I want to kill people in your passive aggressive way of trying to look the other way about the facts while hoping I’ll shut up.
Amen, ITWR! The reality is this is a panic-dammit, not a pandemic!
There’s a small German study out there identifying significant heart damage for over 75% of those with serious complications from the virus. Is it related to other possible health conditions? We simply don’t know.
The author of this article and the first person commenting here appear to be in complete denial that the spread of the virus is accelerating in North Carolina, following the same pattern as other southern states.
There’s just too much we don’t know about this virus.
We don’t know if this virus is causing people long-term damage.
We don’t know if children can transmit the virus as easily as adults.
We don’t know if there is real immunity after infection.
Why are we taking chances with this virus when all we need is a little compliance….wear the masks, create some reasonable social distance, avoid large gatherings, and keep the schools closed until we aren’t seeing community spread of the virus. This will buy us all crucial time for better treatments and a safe vaccine.
whitdawg, etc,
I am not in denial of anything. I simply stated the facts of who has it and who does not. I don’t doubt what you are saying about the heart damage, but please consider that the vast, vast, vast majority do not have serious complications. Doctors have said that would be the likely scenario from the very beginning, including the beloved Dr. Fauci.
That is not to downplay that some people, particularly the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions, have really struggled with the illness and many have died. (I could go on about the issues with nursing homes, but that might be for another time.)
I’m just asking you to consider the numbers from a different angle — 99.8 don’t have a COVID-19 diagnosis right now. I read this morning that at least 25 percent of the people who get COVID-19 do not even have symptoms. I’d be willing to bet that is a low number but how would anyone know if it’s not reported? I’d like to see a breakdown of those numbers. I know this virus is serious for many, but I also don’t think it’s the bubonic plague like everyone is making it out to be. Just because you could get it doesn’t mean it’s a guaranteed death sentence.
Something else I’d like the media to consider — it’s been over a month since the state’s mask mandate went into effect. Cases keep rising. Hmmm — how’s that working out for Gov. Cooper? I go out rarely, but when I do, I almost never see anyone without a mask anymore, so I know people are compliant, but yet why aren’t the numbers going down?
Everyone listen Up!!!!!!!Sherry McBee is right on .Cooper is trying to make all submissive to him and not go back to work .All Democrats are Wild about DonaldTrump being defeated this year at our expense of closing businesses and out of a job. Democrats will run our economy in the ground when (and if ) they take over in November and raise our taxes to unreasonable highs.Do you need more taxes or do we need to repair this economy now . D our President had the economy at the best in history with lowest unemployment in history. Do you want more taxes or better job and lower taxes.1 st let’s vote Cooper out and Forest in .2nd vote trump back in. I don’t know where we wind up if you vote Joe in .
Some friends of a friend of mine received a letter in the mail saying they both tested positive for covid19
Funny thing is they have NEVER TAKEN THE TEST!!!!! Wonder how many of the supposedly “positive test result” are really even real !!!!
My dog’s veterinarian’s brother received a lucrative business opportunity in the mail from the Prince of South Africa. Funny thing is, South Africa DOESN’T HAVE A PRINCE!!! I wonder how many supposed “companies” even make money!!!
Ha! Isn’t that interesting. I have a friend who went to get tested, it’s been three weeks now and still no results. I know they might take a few day but a few weeks?
I find it most interesting you ignored the last two questions of my post – having to do with your goals and responsibilities. But that is not unexpected. After all, we are just exposing the bias of lame stream media by presenting the numbers in a different way. [Both hands up, palms forward, shoulders shrug.] What people do with that information is up to them, and last time I checked this wasn’t Communist China…
Your points haven’t been missed btw. They are excruciatingly obvious, but more importantly, useless out of context. Unless, maybe I misunderstood the point of the article and your post. Were you saying “look how few people have died in NC, clearly the Governments’ restrictions have been effective and we should continue being diligent”?
In which case I apologize. Because, har-har, the subtext I read was “look at how few people have died. Fox News was right at the get-go. This is an overblown hoax.” You can see which message, embraced en masse, would tend to promote risky behavior (which I thought was the opposite of conservative).
Lastly, it wasn’t passive aggressive, it was aggressive aggressive. YOUR post (and the article) was passive aggressive because you didn’t own what your intentions really were, while I directly stated if you contribute to the number of covid cases, you kill people.