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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
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SPC Kevin Ford Truly Horrendous.
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LTC Deputy State Surgeon
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Interesting read. Not sure we have all the data to make real determinations. May be a decade before we do...
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LTC Deputy State Surgeon
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Capt Gregory Prickett Absolutely not true. We don’t have the data due to under-reporting of flu and over-reporting of COVID as cause of death.

Flu is not a reportable disease and frequently is not listed as a primary cause of death - sequelae of flu (pneumonia, multi-organ failure, exacerbation of a chronic disease, others) are more frequently the primary CoD.

There is a financial incentive (via the CARES Act) for hospitals to report COVID as diagnosis and CoD. Therefore, the patient in hospice who would have died of cancer last week (regardless of infection status) is (unnecessarily) tested for COVID at time of death. If positive, it’s listed as CoD.

We don’t currently have the data. Wait a decade.
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LTC Deputy State Surgeon
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Capt Gregory Prickett First line of my previous response should read “Absolutely NOT true.” Sorry, for the confusion - typing on my phone w/o my cheaters.
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LTC Deputy State Surgeon
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Capt Gregory Prickett CDC flu data is derived from insurance billing data (as flu is not reportable). I only test a fraction of my patients I suspect of having flu. The majority (>90%) I diagnose with “Upper Respiratory Infection” and treat empirically. Only test for flu if insurance requires a positive test to justify antiviral Rx (rare); patients who require admission (always); and as a rule out for those who aren’t as easily diagnosed (common).

That’s standard practice around the country...hence significant under reporting of flu.
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