Availability of Coronavirus Testing Must Improve

Here’s why.

As of when I am writing this in the United States there have been about 256 closed confirmed cases of COVID-19. the respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 aka the highly infectious novel coronavirus rapidly spreading around the world.

US closed cases:

Recovered — 106

Deaths — 150

This information is sourced from John Hopkins which has an interactive, live map of the outbreak. While I’ve seen slight variations on those numbers, they’re not enough different to be statically relevant for my purposes.

I want to point out that if these numbers were actually accurate, this would mean the outbreak has an almost 59% mortality rate.

That is staggeringly high. That’s end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it kind of high.

Obviously, the death rate is not actually this high. But in trying to keep the numbers at a level he deems acceptable or pleasing, Trump is artificially inflating our death rate. Which is only one reason to be angry about the lack of available testing, but it’s definitely a very important one.

…information is a bit of a double edged sword. Too much can feel overwhelming, but not enough feels terrifying. When the information can’t even be trusted, it’s that much worse.