Relying on the New York Times Covid tracker, the Observer noted that during the week of Dec. 30, 'there was an average of 124 daily Covid-19 hospitalizations.' This neglected to mention that the Times metric captures average daily hospitalizations per 100,000 population-meaning the story was facially incorrect even on its own terms. More to the point, the Times's daily admissions data, which is based on hospitals' self-reporting to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, captures tested as well as 'suspected' cases, which all but invites data bloat.
The story was utter balderdash. If it held any deeper lesson, it was that the institutional rot exposed by the pandemic, not least the awful combination of media sensationalism and laziness, are still very much with us. And the failures will continue to pile up, threatening to once more overwhelm common sense in the next crisis, unless Americans demand a thorough, sober, and credible reckoning for all major actors, public and private.
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