Metrics and COVID
Rod Klingler Rod Klingler
Metrics are opinionated reference points.
According to Sandi Metz, a well-known author, speaker, and professional software developer,
"Metrics are, obviously, created by people, so one could argue that they merely express one individual’s opinion. That assertion, however, vastly understates their worth. Measures that rise to become metrics are backed by research that has stood the test of time. They’ve been scrutinized by many people over many years. You can think of metrics as crowd-sourced opinions."
The metrics we have heard used for mask mandates seem to be "cases" of coronavirus, and deaths attributed thereto.
Since this is apparently a new form of coronavirus, nothing about it has withstood the test of time beyond a few months.
Mask-wearing has been a thing for a long time, and it has definitely been researched and "scrutinized by many people over many years." Unfortunately, there is no "crowd-sourced opinion" that is settled on this issue. [See our article, Masks: The Science Is NOT Settled.]
In the absence of a reliable metric concerning masks, let us turn to "cases," as determined by the PCR test. This seems to be much more straightforward. But is it?
Sandi Metz continues,
"While it’s possible to disagree with the premise of a specific metric, and to insist that the thing it measures isn’t useful, the rules of mathematics require all to concede that the numbers produced by metrics are facts."
In other words, "numbers don't lie." They just are.
Unfortunately, as with everything else related to this "pandemic," the numbers we are hearing about COVID-19 "cases" may actually be a lie. At best, they are highly unreliable.
Dr. Scott Atlas, of Stanford University, recently tweeted:
"Marked "case" increase is not accompanied by similar increases in deaths. "Cases" is not the most important metric. #Perspective #FactsMatter" [7]
Whatever the numbers actually are, another issue is the interpretation of those numbers. We can read reports on "total cases" and "new cases," but we must take those numbers and do something with them, based on other criteria.
The only criteria I am aware of related to coronavirus "cases" are the following claims:
1. They are meaningful because they represent deaths or the threat thereof.
2. They are meaningful because they represent the necessity for hospitalization, and we don't want to overwhelm hospitals (ie, we want to "flatten the curve").
Examining each of these claims reveals a sandy foundation for mask mandates to rest upon:
1. Deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the state of Idaho are currently at 874 since the "pandemic" began, as officially reported at coronavirus.idaho.gov. According to the 2020 census, the Idaho population is 1,826,160 [1]. A little math tells us that this represents less than 0.05% of the population. While every death is sad, this is hardly statistically significant, particularly in relation to seasonal flu deaths, cancer, suicide, and deaths from things like properly prescribed medications taken as prescribed [2]. For reference, that leaves greater than 99.95% of us alive.
2. Currently, the total number of "cases" since the "pandemic" began stands at 94,730, which represents roughly 5% of the population. Obviously, this leaves 95% of the population unaffected. These "cases" have been "diagnosed" over time (not all at once), and very few of them have actually "required" hospitalization. Here are the symptoms, according to the CDC [3]:
Fever or chills, Cough, Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, Fatigue, Muscle or body aches, Headache, New loss of taste or smell, Sore throat, Congestion or runny nose, Nausea or vomiting, and Diarrhea.
The CDC rather unhelpfully includes a disclaimer that the above list "does not include all possible symptoms." Interestingly, the list seems to include every symptom of every other illness or non-illness one could experience, especially during winter, none of them requiring hospitalization. Of the people I've personally known who "tested positive" for COVID-19, the vast majority have had symptoms from this list.
Under the heading, "When to seek emergency medical attention", the CDC lists the following as reasons to seek emergency medical care:
Trouble breathing, Persistent pain or pressure in the chest, New confusion, Inability to wake or stay awake, or Bluish lips or face.
Most of these would be good reasons to seek help under any circumstance. Thankfully, they are not experienced by the majority of those "testing positive."
The CDC does point out that "Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness."
So, of the 5% possibly affected by COVID-19 in Idaho, most of those fall into these two categories. Why are we placing restrictions on the rest of the population, for whom the greatest risk is that they might experience symptoms generally associated with the common cold?
Interestingly, many of these "severe symptoms of COVID-19" are also symptoms of anxiety. [4] For instance, the University of Washington's Medical Department has a page called "Do You Have Anxiety or COVID-19?" [5] Many people have noticed this, and some have suggested that the 24/7 reporting on coronavirus may actually be causing this anxiety. [6]
So, if most people who "test positive" don't require hospitalization, what is the problem?
To begin with, they are scared to death. Because of all the propaganda surrounding this supposed "pandemic," such as the rush to release a vaccine, they have no idea that the actual threat to them is extremely small.
Secondly, we live in a hospital-obsessed culture, where people no longer know how to take care of themselves, which is possible for 99% of the things people go see doctors for. Defending Idaho recently published an article called, "You Can Flatten The Curve!" that addressed this societal problem, and proposed that people seek to become self-reliant. On our Facebook page, we have shared information from practitioners of inexpensive natural methods that are currently being used to treat the symptoms listed for COVID-19.
As has been demonstrated here, there are currently no metrics concerning COVID-19 that can possibly be relied on to support the current response, up to and including what amounts to house arrest, and intrusion into the simplest actions of people's daily lives.
Not deaths, and certainly not "cases."
SOURCES
[0] All Sandi Metz quotes are from her book, "99 Bottles Of OOP. A Practical Guide To Object-Oriented Design," Version 1.0.1.
[1] Idaho Population 2020, World Population Review
[2] New Prescription Drugs: A Major Health Risk With Few Offsetting Advantages, Harvard University Center For Ethics
"[P]roperly prescribed drugs… cause about 1.9 million hospitalizations a year. Another 840,000 hospitalized patients are given drugs that cause serious adverse reactions for a total of 2.74 million serious adverse drug reactions. About 128,000 people die from drugs prescribed to them."
[3] Symptoms of Coronavirus, CDC
[4] 11 Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders, Healthline
They list excessive worrying, feeling agitated, restlessness, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating.
[6] The Coronavirus Pandemic May Be Causing an Anxiety Pandemic, Time
[7] As quoted (and displayed onscreen) in "Fire Fauci!' - Trump Rally Explodes Over Coronavirus Doom And Gloomer," RonPaulLibertyReport (YouTube)