Very important info for people following the news on #COVID19 in NYC: you will see what seems to be a very high, concerning hospitalization rate. This is because in NYC @nycHealthy requests we test only for patients being hospitalized. (1/)
Obviously that affects who is tested & the overall denominator. So you cannot and should not look at NYC’s #COVID19 hospitalization rate and assume that X% of all people with COVID require hospitalization. It’s an artifact of who is tested. (2/)
So that news should be somewhat relieving. The testing situation also means that our official number of positive #COVID19 cases in NYC is a VAST underestimate. (3/)
At this point COVID is so prevalent that for anyone with a fever or a cough or a sore throat or shortness of breath we just assume it’s #COVID19 in NYC. (4/)
And while as a curious researcher even in NYC I would love more tests so we could see the real numbers of positives, as a doctor I know that—for the majority of people, those with mild illness—a positive #COVID19 test will not change the way we treat them. (5/)
And staying home—not seeking a #COVID19 test when you are only mildly ill or are worried about an exposure—is the best thing you can do to help prevent the spread, at least here in NYC given we already have community spread of COVID. (End)
