Don’t Know, or Won’t Say, How Many Omicron Hospitalizations?

by Carol J. Bova

The most recent Virginia Department of Health (VDH) information on the number of COVID-19 infections in vaccinated people dates from December 25, 2021. Statewide weekly total case numbers go through January 1, 2022.

The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association (VHHA) gives total hospitalizations and ICU numbers for confirmed and pending tests as of January 9, but doesn’t differentiate between Omicron and other forms of Covid.

Bret Baier, on Fox News Sunday, January 9th, interviewed several people about the Supreme Court session on Covid vaccine mandates and Covid information. He included an audio clip of an incorrect statement by Justice Sonia Sotomayor: “We have over 100,000 children, which we’ve never had before, in serious condition and many on ventilators.”

He then asked Centers for Disease Control Director Rochelle Walensky if it were true that “there are fewer than 3,500 current pediatric hospitalizations from COVID-19.”

Walensky sidestepped and said that the majority of hospitalized children were unvaccinated. Baier said, “Understood, but the number is not 100,000. It’s roughly 3,500 in hospitals now.”

Walensky admitted. “Yes, there are,” and continued on about the rate of hospitalizations and vaccinations. She avoided discussing the fact that vaccinated people are getting Omicron and, at one point, claimed, “People who are vaccinated are still protected about 70% against infection, especially if they are boosted.”

That would be a good thing to know — if it’s true — but there’s no public information to document the claim. Knowing whether people in the hospital testing positive were admitted for COVID or something else would be another good bit of information to have.

Walensky said, “In some hospitals that we talked to, up to 40% of the patients who are coming in with COVID are coming in not because they’re sick with COVID, but because they are coming with something else and have COVID or the omicron variant detected.”

Baier asked, “But I guess you know how many of the 836,000 deaths in the U.S. linked to COVID are from COVID. or how many are with COVID, but they have other comorbidities, do you have that breakdown?”

Walensky: “Yes of course, with Omicron we’re following that very carefully. Our death registry, of course, takes a few weeks to collect, and of course, Omicron has just been with us for a few weeks, but those data will be forthcoming.”

So VDH doesn’t know, or isn’t telling, and the CDC doesn’t know and won’t know for some time yet how many people have been admitted FOR Covid and how many WITH Covid, and how many died FROM Covid.

Is it any wonder so many people don’t trust what the CDC and VDH say? More honest and accurate reporting would go a long way toward restoring trust.


Share this article



ADVERTISEMENT

(comments below)



ADVERTISEMENT

(comments below)


Comments

50 responses to “Don’t Know, or Won’t Say, How Many Omicron Hospitalizations?”

  1. LarrytheG Avatar

    hmm… don’t believe the CDC or VDH but will believe FOX News?

    yepper

    1. nor a SCOTUS justice…..

      1. LarrytheG Avatar

        she made an honest mistake. Her INTENT was not to purposely deceive others and/or spread disinformation and misinformation.

        If we had a dime every time the deniers spouted false info on purpose… and on FOX – Tucker and others…

        I understand that the CDC does not provide all the data SOME people might want or the data they do provide can be interpreted in different ways – but to dismiss them and embrace FOX and other deniers for your “information” …..

        CDC collects a LOT of data. Why believe them at all as opposed to believe some of it and condemning them for the data you don’t like?

        1. DJRippert Avatar

          The self-proclaimed “wise Latina” completely screwed the pooch with her 100,000 vs 3,500 comment. Basic facts are irrelevant to a libtwit I guess. Besides, why is a US Supreme Court justice giving interviews anyway? Given that they are appointed for life I’d think that just shutting the hell up and getting on with the business of the Supreme Court would be a good idea.

          1. LarrytheG Avatar

            She messed up, no question. Want to hear some other quotes from other SCOTUS?

            they’re all human.. as are all the folks at the CDC, VDH

            is that reason to dump them all and run to FOX?

          2. killerhertz Avatar
            killerhertz

            It’s very generous of you to label federal bureaucrats human. I know of a few people cheering for omicron lockdowns so they can get paid to sit at home some more.

          3. how_it_works Avatar
            how_it_works

            One of the reasons I want to move out of NoVA is to get away from Federal bureaucrats. They make terrible neighbors. Nothing short of a fence consisting of a highway sound wall topped with barbed wire and broken glass will make them good neighbors.

          4. killerhertz Avatar
            killerhertz

            We moved from Fairfax to Warrenton so there was more of a balance. Pretty happy the past 4 years.

          5. LarrytheG Avatar

            they’re not any better out in the exurbs either! 😉

            We’ve got a couple of them on our BOS – fiscal conservatives they are – getting Federal pay!

          6. how_it_works Avatar
            how_it_works

            I wasn’t planning on stopping at moving out of NoVA, but going all the way and moving entirely out of VA. I figure I can sell my house to a GS-15 for a tidy profit over what I paid for it, and move to fly-over country and pay cash for a house.

          7. The Director of the CDC was a major part of the program…in an exclusive appearance. So how is Fox inaccurate?

          8. LarrytheG Avatar

            How is FOX inaccurate on that one point or on many points?

            why would you latch on to FOX for “facts” when they clearly engage in lies and conspiracy theories on a regular basis?

            I know you don’t trust other govt and media, stipulated… but FOX (and the NY Post) are your preferred “truth”?

            Like Hannity and Tucker too?

          9. Would you like to back down from your rabid contempt of Fox to acknowledge their interview with the CDC Director and the NY Post about the NYS GOv. press conference were accurate? And your disrespect of my fact checking of statements (and me) is unwarranted?

          10. LarrytheG Avatar

            Yep. FOX News Sunday – the ONLY program on FOX that has a semblance of integrity and they booted their only remaining honest reporter and Baier is
            about the only one they had left with any credibility and I’m no fan of him either – strays from the truth at times and follows the FOX “way”.

        2. So you can read minds and know intent….. awesome super power.

          1. LarrytheG Avatar

            not as good as you… 😉

            I DO know the difference between the CDC and FOX when it comes to information, though…

            and I know the SCOTUS person does NOT have a reputation of lying and spreading disinformation – unlike others.

          2. killerhertz Avatar
            killerhertz

            Dred Scott, Plessy, Citizens United. Brought to you by SCOTUS. That’s what I call winning.

    2. DJRippert Avatar

      75 years to release the COVID vaccine test data? That’s what your gub’mint wanted. 2096 as the release date. Thank God a federal judge called BS on that.

      What are they trying to hide?

      https://gazette.com/news/judge-scraps-75-year-fda-timeline-to-release-pfizer-vaccine-safety-data-giving-agency-eight/article_9bcaaa2b-23d4-5dab-9f65-515e969ec51d.html

      1. LarrytheG Avatar

        Is the 75 yrs specific only to COVID or is it the normal regs ?

        You boys will NEVER get “enough’ data because basically you’re looking for ammunition to use against the agencies and the question is why?

        For what purpose do we need all of it?

        To keep them “accountable”?

        1. DJRippert Avatar

          Yes, Larry, to keep them accountable.

    3. So, Larry, you don’t believe the Governor of New York state? Shocking!

      1. LarrytheG Avatar

        Can’t find the quote, got a link?

        But to be honest, what is all of this really about?

        Do you doubt the numbers of COVID or think the hospitals, CDC or media are false reporting?

        Steve says that I’m “slow’. So okay, lay it out in simple terms what your issue (and others like you) really is. thanks.

        1. NYS Gov press conference 1/7 “42% of COVID patients admitted for non-COVID reasons (vs. 39% on 1/4.”. The numbers vary by region, and she’s ordered hospitals to report the numbers, but I haven’t seen that she released more stats yet.

        2. What’s it about? (1)Omicron is not causing the hospitalizations in 40-50% of cases identified in hospitals, (2) I don’t believe the vaccine is 70% effective against omicron, and CDC won’t deal with that fact for a while yet.
          Your link: New York Post headline. 1-7-22, “Over 40% of NYC’s COVID-infected hospital patients admitted for other reasons

          1. LarrytheG Avatar

            link to Gov quote?

            what is the purpose of making the 40% point in the first place? Do you disbelieve the numbers or think they are being presented dishonestly?

          2. Neither. Without distinguishing between the two groups, it inflates the hospitalization numbers for COVID by 42-50%. And in turn, the ERs are deluged by fearful people wanting tests they can’t get elsewhere because of supply issues.

        3. C/CDC just stated today on GMA that 75% of C-19 hospitalizations are people with at least FOUR comorbidities….. WHERE HAS THAT DATA BEEN??????

          She added this is [a pandemic of] the unwell [and old]…….finally admitting what many have been saying.

  2. Biden has just ‘ChiCommed’ our health system by stating that people with a certain amount of melanin get preference for C-19 treatments. It’s like being Han in China. Now the question is ‘How much melanin makes you a beneficiary of this system?’ Can you be as much ‘black’ as Pocahontas is Cherokee and qualify?

    1. I suspect it’s going to be whatever people identify as. What else can they use? Kendi’s anti-racism discrimination in action.

    2. DJRippert Avatar

      Sounds blatantly unconstitutional. Of course, our elected politicians have now made knowingly issuing unconstitutional edicts a habit. They figure that the courts will take time to find the edicts unconstitutional and in the meantime, the pols get what they want. Then these same politicians wonder why some people in America talk about the next civil war.

    3. I thought that policy was adopted by New York State, not nationally.

  3. Stephen Haner Avatar
    Stephen Haner

    Watched the NBC national broadcast last night and there was a story that clearly pointed out how many “COVID” hospitalizations, including pediatric, were actually people in hospital for other things and simply turned up a positive test. It can be half or more. Most get no “COVID” treatment. I was stunned to see a national network admit this fact, which of course has been true for two years now.

    https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/omicron-hospital-many-patients-hospitalized-ailments-also-test-positiv-rcna11247

    1. LarrytheG Avatar

      If someone has heart disease then gets cancer, how do we attribute their death?

      when they say “due to complications of”?

      why is this SUCH an obsession with some folks?

      If COVID comes on top of a prior condition – and puts you in the hospital – it means that the CDC must be lying about how they characterize it?

      lordy.

      So even the deniers who did get the shots – who actually DID believe the govt when they said “get the shots”, that same govt you don’t trust for data but you do trust other deniers who spout disinformation and misinformation and outright conspiracy theories – like we hear on FOX news?

      1. Yes, the article contains information from Fox News, but it was an INTERVIEW. The interviewer asked questions and those being interviewed answered (or dodged) those questions using their own words.

        Or are you claiming that Fox News altered the audio and video of the interview so they could put words in Ms. Walensky’s mouth?

        1. Matt Adams Avatar
          Matt Adams

          Clearly, he’s still not looked up what an ad hom attack is or perhaps he has but cannot understand it.

        2. Matt Adams Avatar
          Matt Adams

          Clearly, he’s still not looked up what an ad hom attack is or perhaps he has but cannot understand it.

    2. After the New York Post on Jan. 7 , 2022, reported, “…more than 40 percent of the state’s hospitalized corona-virus patients were admitted for “non-COVID reasons” — with the ratio in New York City “about 50-50,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday,” it was just a matter of time before the MSM had to admit it too. What’s surprising is it took two days for NBC to be the first.

    3. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      Okay, let’s go with that premise.
      Why then weren’t hospitals reporting full ICUs and deaths at this rate in 2018? Or, even 2019?

      Have they always been at 50, 60, 80% capacity and just been keeping mum?

      A rumor of pandemic?

      1. killerhertz Avatar
        killerhertz

        I believe yes they always operate close to capacity. Otherwise they’d lose $$.

        1. how_it_works Avatar
          how_it_works

          Isn’t the whole COPN (certificate of public need) thing to ensure that there isn’t too much excess capacity in the hospitals, lest they all go bankrupt?

        2. Matt Adams Avatar
          Matt Adams

          They operate at close to artificial capacity with the knowledge that they can accept more if needed.

      2. James Kiser Avatar
        James Kiser

        You might look up the number of hospital beds available in the 60’s or 70’s and the number available now. It is one of the reasons Hospitals boot you out in 2-3 days after major surgery.

        1. Nancy Naive Avatar
          Nancy Naive

          Well, that and insurance companies. Daughter was born with high bilirubin count, so under the UV she went. Our insurance companies, BCBS of Pa. and Lincoln Life, wouldn’t cover the two additional days for wife and one for infant. Her Ob and the pediatric went tribal on them. The companies were saying one 24-hr post delivery for spousal unit, and 2 for infant. The insurance wanted us to rent an incubator with UV lights at home!

      3. Matt Adams Avatar
        Matt Adams

        Historically hospital capacity is around ~70%.

        https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3840149/

  4. Data, as we all know is very hard to collect [you have to ask questions and place into, and then read reports] and place into databases which everyone can read and assess [you have to type on a keyboard in real time — this can take HOURS to figure out how to use those little square thingees in front of you which you depress].

    Knowledge if power…… and we’re merely mushrooms.

    1. Matt Adams Avatar
      Matt Adams

      It’s also very hard to collect data on a virus that can be unnoticeable. Yes, it can make people very sick, but others it doesn’t seem to afflict. There is also how many people had it prior to it’s outing. We don’t have a specific timeline of it’s growth thanks to China’s secrecy about all things.

      1. wait — are you saying China had something to do with this health/economic debacle? STOP THE PRESSES!!!

        1. Matt Adams Avatar
          Matt Adams

          I find it highly dubious that anyone would fail to understand that the secrecy of the Chinese Government has resulted in this bug spreading far and wide. Does that indicate they built it, no. I have no idea of it’s origins and we can only speculate because again China won’t play ball. Their failure to alert and acknowledge this to the World is how we are currently living in COVID world today.

          1. China alerted the world when it shut down all internal travel to/from Wuhan, but allowed international flights… in the Intelligence Community we call that ‘a clue’.

          2. Matt Adams Avatar
            Matt Adams

            I’d say they shut down internal travel when they realized they couldn’t contain it locally (they didn’t mind the population control at first). So it was already spreading like wildfire at that point. I do agree that was a clue, but again they will never admit their errors.

Leave a Reply