Distorted covid-19 death numbers mislead public

State health officials failed to disclose when the deaths occurred

Posted 7/23/20

By Jerry Bellune

JerryBellune@yahho.com

State health officials have admitted they didn't disclose important facts about covid-19 deaths.

" When we report confirmed and probable …

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Distorted covid-19 death numbers mislead public

State health officials failed to disclose when the deaths occurred

Posted

By Jerry Bellune

JerryBellune@yahho.com

State health officials have admitted they didn't disclose important facts about covid-19 deaths.

" When we report confirmed and probable deaths every day, it includes deaths that occurred over a range of time that were reported to us," said Laura Renwick of the Department of Health & Environmental Control.

"It isn't deaths that occurred the previous day."

Yet the DHEC news release early this week did not disclose that.

As a result, the news media reporterd it as 56 deaths on a single day.

Renwick said there are various reasons why a covid-19 death would be delayed in being reported.

She said DHEC updates a chart on its web site every day to show when announced deaths on a given day occurred.

"Of the 65 confirmed and probable deaths reported yesterday, you can see the actual dates those 65 deaths occurred on that chard. "

The problem with this is that most people do not go to the DHEC web site for covid-19 news.

They depend on the news media to give them accurate information from DHEC and other sources.

At the Chronicle, we believe DHEC should say in its media advisories that the deaths occured over time and since when.

Reporting 56 deaths in one day sounds like a massacre.

It frightens people who are already fearful.

Failing to say that only 12 deaths were reported that day and the rest since July 3 distorts reality.

That's not a public service. To many people, it will look like a scare tactic.

We believe citizens of our state have a right to expect honesty and transparency from their public officials

scdhec, COVID-19, deaths, cases, coronavirus

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