The meaning of COVID numbers has changed. Here’s how to make sense of it

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What does all the Omicron data mean? How do we make sense of the raw numbers? And do international trends hint at what's still to come? CraigDButt marywardy

Hospitalisations are at record levels in NSW and Victoria as Delta’s peaks have been overtaken by the Omicron variant.

There’s now a second complication in the daily numbers: the overall total comes from two separate sources.Until recently, a state’s daily case number was calculated by tallying up all the positive PCR test results processed over the previous day. But now the results of self-administered rapid antigen tests are being fed into the totals.

Indeed, NSW and Victoria’s daily numbers have started to drop. But given the complexities of accurately interpreting the numbers, is the data a true suggestion that case figures are on their way down? “There will be bumps. Cases will increase once schools return, but case numbers are unlikely to then reach the levels of this summer outbreak,” Professor Esterman said.

According to data from the state’s Agency for Clinical Innovation, there were 3508 COVID-19 admissions in the week ending January 17, up from 2943 the previous week. People in NSW hospitals with COVID-19 are staying for an average of between four and five days, less time than during previous outbreaks.

And during last year’s Delta outbreak, hospitalisations in NSW peaked at 1268 just over a week after the seven-day average peaked at 1366. A NSW Health report found 10 per cent of cases confirmed during last year’s Delta outbreak led to hospitalisation, compared with 1 per cent of cases confirmed in the six weeks to January 8 of this year ending up in hospital.

There are 175 people in intensive care in NSW because of COVID, down from 217 one week ago. During last year’s Delta outbreak, there was a peak of 257 patients in intensive care statewide. University of Sydney professor of biostatistics, Ian Marschner, agreed the deaths being seen in the state were a reflection of the earlier case burden.

Data from NSW Health’s weekly COVID-19 surveillance reports show in the Omicron wave a disproportionate rate of people who are not double-dosed have caught the virus , been hospitalised with the virus and entered intensive care . “Hopefully the combination of a prior infection in young adults - the group that have spread it most to date - and the booster rollout, particularly to the people most at risk, will mean less people ending up in hospital,” she said.Case numbers have also surged in countries like the United States and in the United Kingdom over the Christmas period.

 

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CraigDButt marywardy Morrison in his wisdom says numbers don't count It's vaccinations that matter Not so Vaccinations in many people are useless, other vaccination ware out sooner than others Numbers count when new houses are not 1metre apart on a 300 metre block in a new (Sardine) development

CraigDButt marywardy Case numbers are no longer comparable. PCR test capacities were reduced and RATs cost money, if available. Current covidnsw hospitalization curve has different dynamic to the delta wave. Future depends on prudence of population. Premature political relax decisions irreparable

CraigDButt marywardy No the numbers have been the same throughout. People with robust immune systems are surviving at a rate of over 99%. Everything else has been the manufacturing of irrational fears to market products to consumers who have long lost the ability to reason

CraigDButt marywardy Not when you have 14,000 death in one week in 50,STATES in the United States. V 240 in the state of New South Wales in one week

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