This is an update to my earlier article about corporate media’s orgasmic joy at presenting China’s current COVID outbreak as the mother of all plagues.
Best part of your article is showing that journalism is actually cutting and pasting. Apparently kindergarten is the only prerequisite to get a byline.
Historically, a "case" was symptoms plus a diagnostic test. As a general rule, no one gets tested for influenza or RSV unless they go to their doctor (or clinic or ER/ED) with symptoms and a diagnostic test is ordered to identify the pathogen in question. Accordingly, all flu "cases" are by definition people who are demonstrably sick with "the flu".
COVID-19 was the first infectious respiratory disease where a "case" became defined as just the diagnostic test.
Ironically, the WHO still applies the historic standard in its guidance for interpreting WHO-approved COVID diagnostic tests.
After three years there is still no distinction made by “expert sources” between being INFECTED with the sarsCov-2 VIRUS and having the DISEASE of COVID-19. These are TWO DIFFERENT THINGS!!!
Different and yet still related--and, unfortunately, it is a distinction that gets blurred with some regularity, particularly as regards infectious respiratory pathogens, most of which result in "the flu".
What neither the media nor the "experts" at the CDC will ever point out to the lay audience is that the vast majority of "flu" cases are caused by a pathogen OTHER than one of the many circulating strains of influenza virus, and so depending on how much fear the media wants to generate, "the flu" (which is caused by multiple viruses) becomes conflated with influenza infection.
Best part of your article is showing that journalism is actually cutting and pasting. Apparently kindergarten is the only prerequisite to get a byline.
It is a huge distinction when reporting “cases”.
It has become one, that is certain.
Historically, a "case" was symptoms plus a diagnostic test. As a general rule, no one gets tested for influenza or RSV unless they go to their doctor (or clinic or ER/ED) with symptoms and a diagnostic test is ordered to identify the pathogen in question. Accordingly, all flu "cases" are by definition people who are demonstrably sick with "the flu".
COVID-19 was the first infectious respiratory disease where a "case" became defined as just the diagnostic test.
Ironically, the WHO still applies the historic standard in its guidance for interpreting WHO-approved COVID diagnostic tests.
After three years there is still no distinction made by “expert sources” between being INFECTED with the sarsCov-2 VIRUS and having the DISEASE of COVID-19. These are TWO DIFFERENT THINGS!!!
makes me crazy.
Different and yet still related--and, unfortunately, it is a distinction that gets blurred with some regularity, particularly as regards infectious respiratory pathogens, most of which result in "the flu".
What neither the media nor the "experts" at the CDC will ever point out to the lay audience is that the vast majority of "flu" cases are caused by a pathogen OTHER than one of the many circulating strains of influenza virus, and so depending on how much fear the media wants to generate, "the flu" (which is caused by multiple viruses) becomes conflated with influenza infection.