It’s interesting isn’t it? More testing reveals more cases making those numbers go up which looks bad. At the same time, more confirmed cases can actually be good news if fatality rates remain pretty steady indicating a higher recovery rate.
It is good news that the percentage of fatalities is down. however, when it comes to new cases, the 'new' infections is not just because of more testing. Another factor you have to look at is 'percentage of positives verses total testing'. That is why it is a misrepresentation to claim the increase in the number of positives is because of increased testing. While that is true to some degree, there is also the 'percentage of positives in the new tests'. In certain states, such as Texas, that percentage is skyrocketing.
Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Florida and California have huge problems.. other states, but those are the top five. That's why Abbot in Texas is all of a sudden is mandating face masks
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott mandates face masks in most counties | The Texas Tribune
California did too, but did not enforce the mandate well enough, and that's one reason they are surging.
If you look , for example, at El Paso texas, and the hospitalizations. On June 24th, there were 95 people hospitalized. On July 4th, there were 200. That surge isn't good news. That surge isn't because of 'more testing'. it is a surge because people are getting sick enough to get admitted to the hospital.
On June 25th, there were 41 people in the El Paso Texas hospitals that were in the ICU. On July 4th, there were 71. Almost 1/3 (not quite) of the people in the hospital for Covid 19 in el paso texas are in the ICU.
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Right now, there is sufficient capacity in the hospitals. But, experience has shown if there is a big surge, that capacity can be used up quick. The good news is that because of experience and testing around the world, there are treatments available that can help keep people off the ventilators. The whole point in wearing masks in public is so presymptomatic and asymptomatic people don't spread the disease to others (as much). What I do not want to see is any place in the U.S. needing to go through what NYC did. NYC had two disadvantages... 1) It was at the fore front of of the pandemic in the U.S. so we didn't know how to treat the symptoms, and 2) The population density in the Greater new york area is far higher than any other place in the country.
But, white washing the severity of things, and trying to make it look a lot better than it is encourages carelessness and a disaster in the making.
