Point by Lydia Lee, The Edmond Way Editorial Board
Some people think that COVID-19 is a hoax. A lot of folks said it would disappear after the election. But it didn’t – and in fact, the number of new cases is not just surging, but actually exploding, to the point that many places are going back into lockdown mode similar to last March and April. The numbers are staggering…there have been over 55 million cases worldwide with one-fifth of those occurring in America, and over 250,000 deaths in the US as a result of the COVID-19 virus.
How many of you have heard that the deaths are being “inflated” as a scare tactic or because hospitals and doctors get paid more to call it COVID? Until April 14, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) counted as COVID-19 deaths only those where the coronavirus was confirmed in a laboratory test, although at that time, testing was not widely available. Now, the CDC counts probable cases and deaths. Yes, many of these deaths had comorbidity issues, such as asthma, COPD, diabetes, or a hundred other common health issues, as reported by the CDC. But the simple truth is that for most, they would still be alive if they had not contracted COVID-19.
As a result of the CARES Act, signed into law on March 27, Medicare will pay hospitals a 20 percent “add-on” payment for COVID-19 patients. This was added because hospitals have lost revenue from routine care and elective surgeries that they can't provide during this crisis, and because the cost of providing even routine services to COVID patients has jumped. It is standard for Medicare and other insurers to pay roughly three times more for a patient with a respiratory condition who goes on a ventilator than for one who does not. That has nothing to do with the coronavirus. Doctors get paid for the services they perform and there is no premium paid to a doctor for a COVID death. So to say they are artificially inflating the numbers to receive a big pile of money is simply ridiculous. It is also insulting to the healthcare workers who are on the frontline of this pandemic.
Speaking of artificial numbers, the only numbers I see that are inflated are for those who have “recovered” from COVID-19. In Oklahoma, this is calculated from those diagnosed with the disease who are not in the hospital 14 days after the positive test. They have not necessarily received a “negative” test result, but they are considered in the “recovered” numbers even though they may have lingering effects of the virus, and sometimes are still very ill, but not hospitalized. This Oklahoma standard is very different from the CDC standard which states in order for a person to be considered recovered, they must be fever-free without the aid of fever-reducing medications for three consecutive days and they need to show an improvement in their other symptoms, such as coughing and shortness of breath. In addition, a person must test negative for the coronavirus twice in tests taken at least 24 hours apart. That’s the official CDC standard for a person to be considered among the tally of “recovered” but not here in Oklahoma. However, your body successfully fighting off the virus and returning to the way you felt before you got sick are two separate things. For those with more severe cases of COVID-19, there are likely to be lingering effects, even after the virus is gone. It is too soon to know what the long-term effects to this virus are.
So, what should we do? Be careful, stay home as much as possible, do not join large gatherings… and WEAR A MASK! Foremost, wearing a mask is a simple means to protect yourself and others around you. Yes, it's hot and, maybe, uncomfortable, but it is a small inconvenience. Remember how people complained when seat belts were mandated? Or smoking in public places was outlawed? Oh yeah, and please wear it right, covering your nose and mouth! It’s not an invasion of our liberties, people, this isn’t living in fear, this is being a responsible human being!
This article does not necessarily represent the feelings or the opinions of The Edmond Way as it is an opinion editorial