Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Photo: Kevin Sanders for California Globe)
Is California’s COVID ‘Surge’ Real?
UC Davis Health Center: ‘almost all of our hospital space is needed for non-COVID health care needs’
By Katy Grimes, November 29, 2020 10:09 am
Headlines this weekend screamed “Record-high COVID-19 caseload at Sacramento hospitals as coronavirus surge worsens.” That was a Sacramento Bee headline, blaming “people gathering indoors at Thanksgiving and other holiday events,” only one day after Thanksgiving.
“Sacramento hospitals reported a record-high number of COVID-19 patients on Saturday, the result of a resurgent pandemic this fall that is putting the health care system under unprecedented strain, particularly in intensive care units where beds, doctors and nurses are in short supply,” the Bee reports.
However, UC Davis Health officials reported in that same article, “right now, almost all of our hospital space is needed for non-COVID health care needs,” and “Only 5% of the Sacramento medical center’s patients are being treated for COVID-19.”
So which is it – is there a surge in COVID illnesses, or not?
“In total, 284 capital region residents are being treated in Sacramento County hospitals for the coronavirus, topping the previous high of 281 in July. The patient numbers represent a dramatic increase from just 74 patients six weeks ago, and foreshadow more crowding to come,” the Bee reports.
“In discussing the deadliness of COVID, we need to distinguish COVID cases from COVID infections,” Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said, California Globe reported last week. “A lot of fear and confusion has resulted from failing to understand the difference.”
The Bee reports that across the six-county Sacramento region, 469 patients were in hospitals with confirmed virus cases as of Saturday’s update. The entire region is apparently needed to make the numbers sound bad.
In Sacramento County, 263 COVID patients are hospitalized, and 50 are in the ICU – in seven different hospitals, including UC Davis Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente, Mercy General, and Sutter.
Sacramento County, the most populated of the six-county region with more than 1.5 million residents, has just half of the total regional COVID cases.
Currently, the state reports:
- it has issued 23,573,182 total COVID tests given to Californians
- there are 1,183,320 “cases” of COVID
- there have been 19,089 total deaths attributed to COVID
What they don’t report is that of the 23,573,182 total statewide COVID tests, 22,389,862 Californians tested negative – more than half of the state’s population.
And remember Dr. Jay Bhattacharya’s admonishment: “In discussing the deadliness of COVID, we need to distinguish COVID cases from COVID infections.”
As the Globe recently reported, there are 74,180 total hospital beds in the state, according to the California Department of Public Health. The state COVID dashboard shows 7,684 patients hospitalized in California for COVID-19.
There are more than 439 hospitals in California, and more than 10,000 health care facilities. Are we expected to believe that Gov. Newsom is locking down the state over concerns that hospitals may be overwhelmed?
We’ve seen that movie – more than eight months ago we were told to lockdown and shelter-in-place for 14 days to guarantee that the curve of ill patients would flatten and hospitals wouldn’t be overwhelmed.
And they weren’t – not even close. In fact, it was a ridiculous overreaction. And while the governor, public health officials and the media continue to instill fear in the state’s residents, never during that 8 months have hospitals or health care facilities been overwhelmed.
The Bee worked very hard to find the worst case scenario to bolster their deceitful article title:
“UC Davis’ Cohen also noted that, at his medical center, ‘it seems like the ratios of people who are hospitalized in the ICUs versus the people who are hospitalized on regular floor beds seems to be a little bit lower, so there was a higher percentage of patients who were in critical care units (in the spring), though that may also reflect changing demographics of the coronavirus pandemic.’”
The Bee appears frustrated with the news that there are fewer people currently in critical care units than last Spring.
This is how the Bee reports:
STATE SURGE CONTINUES
“As of Saturday, the death toll across the state from COVID-19 had surpassed another bleak milestone with more than 19,000 deaths reported. In total, California now has 1,183,320 confirmed cases, the highest of any state in the U.S.” (California also is home to 40 million residents, the highest number of any state in the U.S.)
“Those numbers may be slightly lower than the true totals, partly because some counties have not reported new cases during Thanksgiving weekend, and because some test result reports may be delayed.” (Thanksgiving weekend has nothing to with cases reported – 14 days has to pass before those numbers will be calculated)
When comparing California’s “cases” with the 49 other states, the Bee totally gets it wrong when they say the Golden State has the the highest of any state in the U.S.”
California with a population of 39,512,223, reports 1,206,278 “cases,” which is a 3.05 % positivity rate – in the bottom quarter of the entire United States.
Texas, which has nearly 29 million residents, has 1,234,675 “cases,” which is a 4.26% positivity rate.
Governor Gavin Newsom, and most county public health officials, are manipulating the data and numbers, and clearly are trying to keep Californians scared so the draconian lockdowns will not be questioned.
Otherwise, why would the Bee have buried the lede at the end of their article:
“UC Davis Health officials called the current caseloads manageable, in a statement to The Bee. Only 5% of the Sacramento medical center’s patients are being treated for COVID-19.
“UC Davis Health remains well prepared, with its clinical teams continuing to provide very effective patient care. The increases we’re seeing in COVID-19 case are manageable.
“Our facility is flexible, so we can increase COVID-dedicated space and ICU capacity if we need to do so. But right now, almost all of our hospital space is needed for non-COVID health care needs.”
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Comrades
In older days do you think we believed anything we heard or read in East Berlin.
Today peasants read nothing and that’s good.
Chumps only hear Dodger scores.
Deplorables gave up on Fox gruel and condescension.
Gee, I guess UC Davis surprisingly decided to break away from the pack of liars and give us real numbers about COVID hospitalizations. That’s good! But as you point out, it is at the end of the Sac Bee’s article, which is not good, especially because it is the MOST IMPORTANT statement of all, as you also point out. And are we shocked that the Sac Bee’s perspective on COVID seems to be terrible disappointment that there aren’t more Californians who are sick and dying from it? No. Isn’t it wonderful that a big city California newspaper like the Sacramento Bee wishes you ill?
Regarding hospitalization numbers, though, I’ve heard recently that many people diagnosed with COVID who are counted as “hospitalized” are not actually ill enough to need hospital care and monitoring as we think of it, but are instead receiving treatment to forestall complications, and that treatment can ONLY be done in a hospital setting, not at home or in a doctor’s office. So it seems that information would change the “hospitalized” numbers as well. I wonder if any medical professional at UC Davis or other medical facility would be interested in verifying if that is true?
“Currently, the state reports:
…there are 1,183,320 “cases” of COVID…”
Is that “total” from the very beginning, an accumulated total, or the number of cases “right now”?
And do people just randomly decide to go and get tested because they suspect a runny nose? And how many are “repeat customers”; people getting tested repeatedly, like some stories, “took four test, two were negative and two were positive.”
…there are 1,183,320 “cases” of COVID…Is that “total” from the very beginning, an accumulated total, or the number of cases “right now”?
This is a great point and the various public health officers have not only made NO attempt to be helpful and to clarify any part of what you ask about but instead have attempted to muddy the waters as much as possible to keep the lie going and maintain control over the public. Remember that “cases” are really only “positive tests” and as such are unreliable. Meaning that those who have a “positive test” may never show symptoms because, for one thing, it may be a FALSE positive. And keep in mind that the main reason “case” numbers are reported and repeated ad nauseam is to keep the public’s “fear factor” high.
About your second point: YES, in addition to the inaccuracy and unreliability of the PCR tests, there ARE repeat customers, which means that ONE PERSON who has, e.g., seven positive tests is counted as SEVEN PEOPLE; i.e. SEVEN “CASES.” Gee, do you think that bumps up the government’s “case” total? The “case” total that is used to promote and sustain fear?
Yes, people do go and get tested because they have a runny nose. And yes, people are repeatedly going and getting tested. I have been working at a testing site, and most that come do not need instructions because they’ve already tested multiple times.
Interesting.
Locally, in the L.A. area, we heard a lot about traffic jams that went for miles to get into Dodger Stadium so that people could get tested before the Thanksgiving holiday in order to not inflict COVID on their relatives or to be able to travel with peace of mind. But it struck me as silly and a waste of time, not only because of all the false positives, but because all of those people could potentially be infected with COVID within one second after they are tested, so what good is a “reassuring” negative test? Did anyone waiting in traffic think about that? If they did, was the “negative” result just for show?
What a scam. It would be comical if it didn’t have such a serious result.
This has been a fraud from the first day. ALL politicians and government employees pushing the lie are traitors.
A lie?! Why don’t you ask the doctors and nurses dealing with this.
The stupidity of the people here and the “journalist” that authored this story is mind boggling. Apparently, the US needs to do a way better job of teaching math and critical thinking skills. The lockdown worked, that’s why cases and deaths didn’t explode. Really hard to disprove a negative. It’s the rate of rise that’s the issue. A small increase in infection rates can cause a exponential explosion in cases and deaths, particularly with a highly infectious and airborne disease. For the morons here, that’s the thing where the line moves upward with a decreasing radius curve.
What motivation does an elected official like Governor Newsom have for shutting down the economy. Do you really think cutting off tax revenue for government goods and services and putting people out of work is a good re-election strategy? No elected official would do this unless they had to.
You are a delight. And obviously a very bright person.
But I have a question: Why would you bother to visit —- never mind write three paragraphs on — a website that publishes such obvious, utter nonsense and is populated by commenters who are “morons?”
Another question: Can’t help wondering what your stake is in having us all unnecessarily locked down for nine months and for the foreseeable future. Are you personally afraid of contracting the virus from the “morons” running wild? Maybe you should “stay safer at home,” then and not go out in public where you might have to mix with “morons.” It’s not that difficult to do and you should definitely do that to protect yourself if you are frightened. Do you have a state or other government job? Are you a teacher who is on permanent vacation? Are you a politician’s aide running interference? Do you work in the governor’s office or with the state’s public health officers or for another state agency or bureau?
In other words why do you care so much what a bunch of morons say on a website that is so wrong and misguided, at least according to you?
Praying for our LORD to end all this evil corruption soon. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power;”
According to a recent study by John Hopkins, “Reported COVID-19 Deaths ‘Almost Exactly Equal To’ Total Decrease In Deaths By All Other Causes”
Psalm 91
Dominion software must have been used in the Covid case calculations.
HA! No kidding.
Katy,
Thank you for the fine research and reporting you do. There are but a few clear and honest voices in media and you are truly one of the best. Wednesday’s are my favorite with Phil Cowan. Keep up the good work. I’d love to attend a speaking event of yours, should we ever be “allowed” to again.
E.
Comrades
Covid fog is only a tiny bit of how we are worked…..
For instance, we are facing a business collapse in California and gasoline prices stay high……
Lots of residents not paying rents…….mortgages not being paid……how is your local bank looking???????
“Governor Gavin Newsom, and most county public health officials, are manipulating the data and numbers, and clearly are trying to keep Californians scared so the draconian lockdowns will not be questioned.”
All you need to know from this excellent article…
They be fudging the numbers to mess with your minds, people….
Sharing.