I suppose there MIGHT be some truth to the "inflated numbers" conspiracy, but there's a reason for it.
One of the nasty things about this virus is that we can't seem to test for it effectively. If you test someone when they start showing symptoms, there's a good chance they'll test negative by then. Had you tested the same person a few days before they had symptoms, they probably would have tested positive. False negatives are extremely common. A lot of hospitals are kinda being forced to assume someone has covid because they have all the symptoms, even if they aren't testing positive for the virus itself.
Now, here's the interesting thing: you get some of those people who have the symptoms but didn't test positive, you test their friends and family and coworkers and the people they've been in contact with and there's a good chance you're going to find a lot of people there who do test positive. They aren't showing symptoms yet, but they have the virus.
That's actually part of why it spreads so easily. It's entirely possible for people to have the disease for a couple of weeks, not know it and spread it all over town. By the time they show symptoms, all the people they've been incontact with are already infected and many of them have continued to pass the disease on.
As for me, I'm working the preauthorizations department for an insurance company. I've had a lot of inpatient admissions to preauthorize with similar diagnosis: difficulty breathing, fever, shortness of breath, coughing, stuff like that. Sometimes they include a code that specifically says covid, somethings they don't.
One of the nasty things about this virus is that we can't seem to test for it effectively. If you test someone when they start showing symptoms, there's a good chance they'll test negative by then. Had you tested the same person a few days before they had symptoms, they probably would have tested positive. False negatives are extremely common. A lot of hospitals are kinda being forced to assume someone has covid because they have all the symptoms, even if they aren't testing positive for the virus itself.
Now, here's the interesting thing: you get some of those people who have the symptoms but didn't test positive, you test their friends and family and coworkers and the people they've been in contact with and there's a good chance you're going to find a lot of people there who do test positive. They aren't showing symptoms yet, but they have the virus.
That's actually part of why it spreads so easily. It's entirely possible for people to have the disease for a couple of weeks, not know it and spread it all over town. By the time they show symptoms, all the people they've been incontact with are already infected and many of them have continued to pass the disease on.
As for me, I'm working the preauthorizations department for an insurance company. I've had a lot of inpatient admissions to preauthorize with similar diagnosis: difficulty breathing, fever, shortness of breath, coughing, stuff like that. Sometimes they include a code that specifically says covid, somethings they don't.
I live on facebook. Come see me there. http://www.facebook.com/tara.rizzatto
"If you cling to something as the absolute truth and you are caught in it, when the truth comes in person to knock on your door you will refuse to let it in." ~ Siddhartha Gautama
"If you cling to something as the absolute truth and you are caught in it, when the truth comes in person to knock on your door you will refuse to let it in." ~ Siddhartha Gautama
