DETROIT – Local 4 has been bringing you all the latest numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases every day, but those updates are starting to get more and more complicated.
The state reports its totals, and multiple other health departments release their own numbers.
Local 4′s Dr. Frank McGeorge talked about the changing numbers and the story they tell.
Health officials are working diligently to keep track of the cases as they come from a number of different sources, including state labs, hospital labs and private labs.
All the sources feeding in positive results will make the total numbers increase quickly, but everyone needs to keep in mind that the sharp jumps only reflect the existing amount of illness in the community. We are still playing catch up to the real number of cases out there.
With the increase in deaths, is that just part of the rising overall numbers? Yes, in part.
The increase in deaths is also linked to the fact that we are prioritizing testing to the sickest hospitalized patients, and many of the earliest cases that presented to hospitals were also generally in worse shape.
While the numbers are important, the message about mitigating the spread is far more important than the tally, which we all know will climb higher.