From WaPo regarding the knowledge that there’s an undercount with regard to deaths from Covid-19:
Postmortem testing by medical examiners varies widely across the country, and some officials say testing the dead is a misuse of scarce resources that could be used on the living.
Penny-wise, pound-foolish! In the Age of Information, it’s a bit astounding to me that someone can actually say such a thing and think they’re being wise, or at least practical. The long-term consequences of flawed knowledge, however, may cost far more lives down the line than the few up front from expending those tests: death rates, correlations with underlying conditions, and other facts can potentially be derived from good knowledge.
If these officials really want to be useful, get behind the effort to make more tests available. Do whatever it takes, tell the President to stop being an idiot, figure out how to get more manufacturers going, qualify more labs, and stop protecting your precious career. This is the day the public official signs up for, when he or she stands up, leads the troops out of the trenches, and charges the enemy with no regard for themselves.
Do your damn jobs.
And kudos to Wyoming Laramie County Coroner Rebecca Reid:
But in Wyoming — the only state that had not reported a covid-19 death as of Saturday — Laramie County Coroner Rebecca Reid said she is ready to test anyone with symptoms who dies at home.
“We need an accurate cause of death to give the family some closure and make sure they have been safe,” she said. “It’s also very important that the public knows the truth.”
She knows.
