Experts Say COVID-19 Cases Are Surging, but How Reliable Is the Testing Data?; New Military Coronavirus Cases Show Lowest Increase in Months

By The Federalist. As Americans entered summer with a glimmer of hope that COVID-19 might recede, those hopes were quickly dashed after a rapid resurgence of the virus in Sun Belt states. Now approaching midsummer, the numbers continue to surge across the South and Western regions of the United States. . .

The limited data presented amid a surge in positive cases raises questions about the credibility of the figures. The absence of these details from some data sources hinders the ability of officials and average citizens to make informed decisions for collective safety and well-being. . .

Since the emergence of COVID-19 in the United States in late winter, government and medical officials have provided a series of inconsistent and disparate messages on the dangers of coronavirus, its transmissibility, and the efficacy of masks. These inconsistencies persist in the scramble to quell the spike in positive cases. . .

Widespread inconsistencies and convolution among data and laboratory tracking appears to be significantly contributing to possible misinformation provided to the public. From nearly the outset of the virus, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists gave massive latitude to public health officials in the criteria for identifying COVID-19 cases.

The guidelines gave extensive license in qualifying people as “probable” positive for SARS-CoV-2, without them being required to undergo laboratory testing for the virus. Patients could meet COVID-19 criteria by displaying several symptoms such as “headache” or “sore throat,” having suspected or known exposure to someone with the virus, or belonging to a “risk cohort.” (Read more from “Experts Say COVID-19 Cases Are Surging, but How Reliable Is the Testing Data?” HERE)

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New Military Coronavirus Cases Show Lowest Increase in Months

By Military Times. While the services’ count of COVID-19 diagnoses crossed 30,000 this week, the number of new cases showed a drop in the virus’s rate of spread, one of the lowest since before states and cities began rolling out re-opening plans at the end of May.

With 2,856 new positives this week, a 10-percent bump, the military showed a continued downward trend in the number of new cases, after spikes in June and July that saw more than 4,000 new cases weekly at one point.

To date, 30,392 troops have tested positive for COVID-19, through a mix of symptomatic diagnostics and mandatory testing for traveling overseas or certain counter-terror or nuclear-deterrence jobs.

Of those, 510 have been hospitalized and four have died, while 15,896 recoveries means roughly half of those cases are still active. (Read more from “New Military Coronavirus Cases Show Lowest Increase in Months” HERE)

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