IMMEDIATE RELEASE//CD@TCNET//FM:CMD/MSGCTR//URGENT--
"...It is unclear if (Dezann) Romain had any underlying health conditions..."
(CMD/COC)--The East Coast center of the virus pandemic is currently New York City, where strict no-activity rules are in place. The governor has been vocal in is efforts to secure the necessary vital medical supplies in order to head off the rising cases and deaths reported from Manhattan as well as the outlying boroughs.
The Official Website of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
The official website of the 56th Governor of New York State, Andrew M. Cuomo. Find information about the administration, issues, & news that affects you.
Do the stats justify the governor's concern. Released on a daily basis at NYC Health are the latest numbers related to who has what and who died from it.
The stats are broken down into greater New York City areas by age, gender and what are called "underlying illnesses;"
"Underlying illnesses include Diabetes, Lung Disease, Cancer, Immunodeficiency, Heart Disease, Hypertension, Asthma, Kidney Disease, and GI/Liver Disease." (NYC Health)
Some revealing aspects of the cases vs. the groups clearly illustrate the role those underlying illnesses play in the casualties.
Note the "Age Group" cases where 18-24 represent 44 percent of the cases. However, the age groups 65 and older, while showing only 19 percent of the total cases, account for 75 percent of the casualties. This is where the so-called "underlying illness" coefficient comes into play Because of this factor,it appears that New York might be overstating its casualty count for the COVID-19 cumulative deaths. There is no indication that the deaths are strictly related to the virus and many may have been otherwise treated as death from an underlying illness.
It was noted, for instance, during the Wuhan outbreak, that case counts were readjusted following a different method of reporting. (WHO) There was indeed confusion due to the number of variables involved over timeline, detection, testing and reporting in general. The same may hold true for the current status quo in New York and until the air clears and more cases are reported and confirmed, especially the cause of death unrelated to another illness, then it's important to keep the NYC epidemic in perspective,
36-year-old New York City principal dies of coronavirus complications
(CBS News)-A New York City principal has died because of complications of the coronavirus, officials said. Dezann Romain, 36, is the first known public school staff member to die of the virus. Romain worked at Brooklyn Democracy Academy, a transfer high school for overage or under-credited students.
A case in point is the most recent casualty as reported by WIVB-TV4, where the following statement was made in the article;
"It is unclear if (Dezann) Romain had any underlying health conditions. She is one of 125 New York City residents to die of COVID-19." (WIVB)
It needs to be clarified, Dezann was 36 years old.
Sources
NYC Health, https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/imm/covid-19-daily-data-summary.pdf
Wuhan outbreak, https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/who-china-joint-mission-on-covid-19-final-report.pdf
IMMEDIATE RELEASE//CD@TCNET//FM:CMD/MSGCTR//URGENT--