He’s playing politics with people’s lives.
Here Abbott’s latest tweet:
Greg Abbott sent out a tweet yesterday saying the number of COVID-19 cases exceeds the number of active cases for the last 2 days, and that Texas ranks the 3rd highest among states for number
of people who have recovered.
Why his statement isn’t completely true:
If you go to Texas’ Department of Health and Human Services coronavirus map, which the state of Texas publishes, (even though inaccurate); you will find that the number of cases that they are reporting as recovered is just an estimate.
In fact, it further clarifies this estimate at the bottom of the screen. It says: “This number is an estimate based on several assumptions related to hospitalization rates and recovery times, which were informed by data available to date. These assumptions are subject to change as we learn more about COVID-19. The estimated number does not include data from any cases reported prior to 3/24/2020.”
Are you scratching your head, now?
Let’s break this down.
es·ti·ma·tion
noun
- a rough calculation of the value, number, quantity, or extent of something.
as·sump·tion
noun
- 1.
a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof.
So, what the Texas DSHS website is trying to tell us is: They actually don’t know how many people recovered. They didn’t even start counting this number until a month and a half after Texas’ first COVID cases.
DSHS is saying this “estimate,” is based on several “assumptions” related to hospital rates and recovery times, which were informed by data available to date.
What they actually should say is, “Meh, we think there are 16,000-ish recoveries and without proof, we are saying this because we are going on average hospital rates and recovery times, of the data, provided to them.
Here are some questions, we all should be asking:
- Where did this “data” come from? Was it provided to you by the Whitehouse, as you claim everything else also was (guidance about opening, testing, etc)? Was it provided by states which experienced the virus before us, California or New York?
This is a new disease and so much about it is unknown, the source of this data is important.
- Why doesn’t the DSHS know the actual number of recovered patients? Once a person gets a positive test result, is there no-one following back up with them?
The CDC Guidelines regarding contact tracing clearly state: Case investigation, contact tracing, and contact follow-up and monitoring will need to be linked with timely testing, clinical services, and agile data management systems to facilitate real-time electronic transmission of laboratory and case data for public health action.
- If the State of Texas was not following CDC guidelines, which include contact follow-up and monitoring, what are the reasons for this? And if they were following the CDC guidelines, then why is the recovery number just an estimate?
Greg Abbott’s latest tweet was a boast on numbers guessed with no proof.
This may not be hard to believe, but his supporters ate it up hook, line, and sinker. This is the problem with today’s voting Republicans, they take everything these “leaders” say at face-value without question or without research.
Always question. Always research.
Call your congressperson and ask them these questions!
Greg Abbott and the State of Texas have proven themselves both liars and unreliable when it comes to getting information about the coronavirus situation in Texas. Call your congressperson, tell them your concerns, and demand transparency.
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