[lex24]

Yes, comparing COVID-19 counted deaths to influenza estimates of death are an apples to oranges comparison.  No, that doesn't mean that influenza deaths are inflated (or inflated to suit a particular purpose).  Basically, not everyone who has an influenza-like illness (ILI) gets tested for influenza, nor is attributing a cause of death straightforward, since a patient who is hospitalized from influenza and then develops complications in the hospital, may or may not be coded as having died of influenza, even though they would not have died, but for having gotten influenza.  The CDC models the likelihood of a patient having had influenza on the basis of the proportion of patients with ILI who test positive for influenza, and is transaprent about their methodology:

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/overview.htm

The same author (Faust) made a similar point about the apples to oranges comparison in a JAMA paper:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaint...le/2766121

However, in that paper he didn't call for the CDC to revise its methodology, nor do I think it should.

BC

In other words, this is a non story. Curious BC did you see the Yale profs discussion on Hydroxychloroquine?

[lex24]

Yes, comparing COVID-19 counted deaths to influenza estimates of death are an apples to oranges comparison.  No, that doesn't mean that influenza deaths are inflated (or inflated to suit a particular purpose).  Basically, not everyone who has an influenza-like illness (ILI) gets tested for influenza, nor is attributing a cause of death straightforward, since a patient who is hospitalized from influenza and then develops complications in the hospital, may or may not be coded as having died of influenza, even though they would not have died, but for having gotten influenza.  The CDC models the likelihood of a patient having had influenza on the basis of the proportion of patients with ILI who test positive for influenza, and is transaprent about their methodology:

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/overview.htm

The same author (Faust) made a similar point about the apples to oranges comparison in a JAMA paper:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaint...le/2766121

However, in that paper he didn't call for the CDC to revise its methodology, nor do I think it should.

BC

In other words, this is a non story. Curious BC did you see the Yale profs discussion on Hydroxychloroquine?