With COVID-19 heating up again, and the resumption of societal shutdowns in other states, a pandemic strategy never seen in modern times, it seems appropriate to post facts with appropriate recommendations for action independent of politicized governmental institutions. Providing this information, along with relevant context, is the purpose of the new “COVID-19” webpage on the 1889 Institute’s website.
With the recent widely-reported surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, the impression created is that the pandemic has spiraled out of control. Therefore, our first factual installment is the following figure, which shows the number of daily new cases and the number of daily new deaths from COVID-19 in Oklahoma. Seven-day moving averages are also illustrated in order to show trends.
Source: The Covid Tracking Project (https://covidtracking.com/data/state/oklahoma), which assembles data daily from the Oklahoma Department of Health (OKDOH). OKDOH does not provide longitudinal data.
Note that while the number of new cases trended upward lately, the number of deaths per day have trended downward since April.
The Centers for Disease Control and state agencies are notoriously risk-averse, bureaucratic, and unwilling or unable to recognize that their “cure” strategies can be worse than the disease. By contrast, we will post independently-determined facts and recommendations that recognize costs as well as benefits. Our recommendations might therefore differ somewhat from government agency recommendations. We will sometimes rely on non-government experts, but facts are facts, and relevant facts will be delivered as they are, regardless of the source. The latest study’s alarming new conclusion, however, is not a fact unless it is confirmed. We will wait for confirmation before reporting new findings as actual fact. For example, studies claiming hydroxychloroquine was ineffective had to be rescinded for sloppiness.
On our blog, the 1889 Institute has been a voice of reason regarding COVID-19 once reliable information became available. We will post additional blogs in the future as our COVID-19 webpage is updated.
Comments/suggestions may be directed to [email protected].