Now knowing the real numbers is deadly to all of us. I’ve been in regular contact with my Democratic Representative to ask her to include mandatory minimum number of test kits and free testing be provided both to private and public providers in their next COVID19 package. Her response is she is following whatever Dem leadership thinks is best. Democrats have the majority in the House. They control what legislation passes and what doesn’t pass. I urge everyone represented by a Democrat to demand they do not pass one more relief bill without comprehensive testing included in the package.

The sentence should be recast to state actual numbers are higher then the reported numbers due to a low rate of testing. I’ll update it. Thanks.

We don’t know the percentage killed because the number of dead tested pre- or post-mortem is extraordinarily low.

This is an extremely important point. The morbidity rate ascribed to this virus confounds so many factors that it is an entirely meaningless metric. The variability by demographic, clinical, interventional, and remediating factors is very poorly quantified. On top of all of these factors, the tests themselves have varying powers. So it is frightening that many people without any background in the subject are making alarmist or optimistic remarks in all kinds of public forums.

@Bobbyzen Are you telling me that people sick enough to be hospitalized with the symptoms of Coronavirus and who subsequently die are not getting tested for the Coronavirus? I don’t believe that.

@WilliamFleming There are many scenarios beyond what you mention. For example, there are 10s of millions of people who have no health insurance or crappy insurance and do not go to doctors or hospitals. For another, people have been found dead in their homes and were not tested for lack of test kits. The AP just published a story that less than half of all states have tested 2% of their populations.

I don’t think you’re being cynical. Your take is based in reality.