Covid Update From Old People’s Paradise

I live in God’s waiting room. That’s a euphemism for a place that has a large number of senior citizens who are scooting around in golf carts, playing golf and bridge, and taking daily walks in hopes of fending off the grim reaper. Alas, no one gets out alive. I am in the Sarasota/Bradenton, Florida metro area.

I am now an official member of the senior set and have accepted my fate that I am playing in overtime with no guarantee of a game tomorrow. So let me set you straight about the reality of Covid for us seniors.

We are doing fine and the disease is contained. Yes, the number of cases is going up, but that does not mean they are being hospitalized or dying in droves. The facts show otherwise. The Sarasota/Bradenton area not only boasts a large plus 65 population (this area has been identified as one of the top retirement communities in the United States) , but it also has a large influx of snowbirds–i.e., people from Canada, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan who would rather dig their toes in the sandy beaches than shovel snow. This is a recipe for massive spread of Covid. So let’s look at what is happening.

The data I present is provided courtesy of Sarasota Memorial Hospital. They do a daily Covid update (see here). Despite the media hype that Covid is spreading and we are doomed, the actual numbers tell a different story:

Sarasota Memorial Hospital (aka SMH) has had a total of 997 Covid patients since the outbreak was being tracked last March. As of today, Friday, there are 32 Covid patients in the hospital, which counts a total of 662 patients. In plain English, 4.8% of the patients in SMH are there because of Covid.

How about the ICU? There are 47 patients in the ICU but only 7 are Covid patients. That mean only 14% of the patients are Covid. That is not a pandemic. The ICU is not being overwhelmed by any measure. In fact, there were 9 Covid patients in ICU on Thursday, but 2 got better and were released. None died.

The media hysteria surrounding Covid is ignoring the actual data. Look at the patients. How many postive tests lead to being admitted into a hospital? Very few.

The death rate in the United States actually is trending below the average for the previous three years since August. Here is the CDC data for all deaths:

Total US deaths by year, all causes:

2017 – 2,0813,503 (234,000 per month) 2018 – 2,839,205 (237,000 per month) 2019 – 2,855,000 (238,000 per month)

And for 2020, we are averaging 255,178 deaths per month. That appears dramatically higher. But when you compare the month to month deaths in 2019 with those in 2020, the data shows there was a spike of 186,671 deaths. In the first week of April 2019, there were 56,729 deaths from all causes. In the same period in April 2020, the total deaths jumped to 72,169. This pattern continued for 9 weeks. By the first week of June, the number of deaths in 2020 compared to 2019 were approximately the same. The real interesting development is what the numbers are showing for October 2020. In 2019, 160,341 Americans died from all causes during the first three weeks in October. In 2020, for the same time period, that number has fallen to 137,941.

Guess what? Despite media claims that the pandemic is worsening and more people are dying, the facts show the opposite trend. Covid had a brief run, thankfully, as a deadly pandemic. During April and May of 2020, undertakers were doing a booming business. But that wave has passed and we are now seeing far fewer deaths per week than was the case in 2019. 

Yes, Covid is a disease and can kill people. But our medical professionals now understand how to treat it and to prevent people from dying. My neighbor, a 74 year old man with diabetes, came down with Covid. He was at home for two weeks and then, finally admitted to the hospital. He spent three nights in ICU and then, following the administration of therapeutics, was released. He is home and doing great.

Here are the daily Covid stats from Sarasota Memorial Hospital. You can see for yourself that the disease is in hand. From Tuesday thru Friday of this week, 14 people were hospitalized with Covid at SMH. But 22 people who had been hospitalized or treated for Covid were discharged. In other words, more going home cured than coming in sick. And one person died. We are in a far better situation today than we were in April and May. The medical community appears to be nearing a consensus on the best therapeutics and treatment for Covid patients.

October 28, 2020–Hospital / ICU Capacity

• Today’s patient census: 649
• Today’s COVID-positive patients total: 25 (29 yesterday)
• Today’s ICU census: 46 (51 yesterday)
• COVID-positive patients in ICU today: 9 (10 yesterday)
• Total hospital beds: 839 / Total ICU beds: 62
• COVID-19 Test Results
• 7-Day SMH positivity rate: 2.1% (2.7% for week ending Oct. 23)
• Patients who have tested positive (excludes repeat positives): 1,128
• Patients who have tested negative: 27,789 *
• Cumulative COVID-19 Patient Update **
• Patients hospitalized since outbreak began: 984 (983 yesterday)
• Patients treated/discharged: 1,046 (1,040 yesterday) {outpatients treated in the ER but not hospitalized and inpatients who have been treated and discharged or cleared by infection control but not yet discharged}
• Patient deaths: 105 (104 yesterday)

October 29, 2020–Hospital / ICU Capacity

• Today’s patient census: 662
• Today’s COVID-positive patients total: 29 (25 yesterday)
• Today’s ICU census: 45 (46 yesterday)
• COVID-positive patients in ICU today: 9 (no charge yesterday)
• Total hospital beds: 839 / Total ICU beds: 62
• COVID-19 Test Results
• 7-Day SMH positivity rate: 2.4% (2.7% for week ending Oct. 23)
• Patients who have tested positive (excludes repeat positives): 1,134
• * Patients who have tested negative: 28,034 *
• Cumulative COVID-19 Patient Update **
• Patients hospitalized since outbreak began: 990 (984 yesterday)
• Patients treated/discharged: 1,050 (1,046 yesterday) {outpatients treated in the ER but not hospitalized and inpatients who have been treated and discharged or cleared by infection control but not yet discharged}
• Patient deaths: 105 (no change from yesterday)

October 30, 2020–Hospital / ICU Capacity

• Today’s patient census: 662
• Today’s COVID-positive patients total: 32 (29 yesterday)
• Today’s ICU census: 47 (45 yesterday)
• COVID-positive patients in ICU today: 7 (9 yesterday)
• Total hospital beds: 839 / Total ICU beds: 62
• COVID-19 Test Results
• 7-Day SMH positivity rate: 3.2% (2.7% for week ending Oct. 23)
• Patients who have tested positive (excludes repeat positives): 1,148 *
• Patients who have tested negative: 28,213 *
• Cumulative COVID-19 Patient Update **
• Patients hospitalized since outbreak began: 997 (990 yesterday)
• Patients treated/discharged: 1,062 (1,050 yesterday) {outpatients treated in the ER but not hospitalized and inpatients who have been treated and discharged or cleared by infection control but not yet discharged}
• Patient deaths: 105 (no change from yesterday)

The post Covid Update From Old People’s Paradise appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.