Why Deaths Seem to Drop as Cases Rise

Prognosis: Misconception

Bloomberg

Health & Fitness, Science

4.1 • 838 Ratings

🗓️ 1 July 2020

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Coronavirus continues its terrifying rampage of large swaths of the country. But the Trump administration has made a point of mentioning that even while cases are rising, deaths are declining. That disconnect is, he says, proof the Covid-19 pandemic is under control. But the mismatch could be an anomaly caused by quirks in how deaths data is collected and reported. It's not necessarily a sign the coronavirus is becoming less lethal or easier to treat. Robert Langreth and Emma Court report that it’s too soon to know for sure that deaths are still declining.

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0:00.0	What could you do if your data was working for you and not against you? With Bloomberg delivering
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0:34.0	Welcome to Prognosis. I'm Laura Carlson. It's day 112 since coronavirus was declared a global
0:42.3	pandemic. Our main story? Even as the infection rate surges around the United States, some have pointed to lower death rates as proof that this stage of the outbreak isn't as bad as it
0:55.7	seems. But a close look at the numbers shows it may be too early to declare that fatalities
1:02.5	are really declining. But first, here's what happened in virus news today.
1:30.1	As the alarming coronavirus surge continues in dozens of U.S. states, New York City postponed a planned return to indoor dining next week. Mayor Bill de Blasio cited rising cases in Florida, California, and Texas after some of those states reopened restaurants.
1:38.1	The city had planned to allow restaurants to have a limited number of available tables indoors,
1:45.2	starting this Sunday.
1:53.5	Instead, it will now help restaurants expand operations outdoors, on sidewalks, and in curbside parking spaces, he said. Some large U.S. companies are also reevaluating their plans to ramp up normal operations.
2:02.3	Google is pushing back a plan to reopen its U.S. offices.
2:06.2	In a memo to employees, the company said all U.S. offices will remain closed until September
2:13.0	7th at the earliest.
2:16.1	An experimental coronavirus vaccine is showing promise in an early trial.
2:22.3	Pfizer and Bio-AnTex treatment has been shown to be safe.
2:26.3	It also successfully prompted patients to produce antibodies against the virus.
2:32.3	That has kept it at the front of the pack in the race to develop a vaccine.
2:37.0	Finally, Europe may be starting to see a tenuous economic recovery following months of coronavirus shutdowns.
2:47.0	But the road ahead will be long. European Central Bank president, Christine Lagarde, renewed her warning at a United Nations event
2:55.9	that the hardest times are yet to come.
	...

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