China Update

A few days ago, I wrote a post praising China for their response to the Corona Virus epidemic. I still praise China for such an effective effort.

Since then, a few things have changed. The total infection rate has increased, though the rate of new infections has still slowed. The deaths have increased, including in percentages.

So, while I may have been incorrect about some statements in some way, that is debateable.

Rapid deployment of criteria. New diagnoses would naturally increase as more people during an epidemic seek treatment, new tests have been developed and more medical professionals have learned the signs and symptoms. Just the fact that the country has imposed a quarantine would make more people seek medical treatment if they become ill due to natural anxiety.

Retroactive diagnoses. More deaths would be attributed to this infection as some deaths may have been diagnosed retroactively, as they were attributed to other organisms or causes previously. That does not mean the mortality rate has accelerated. 90% of the cases diagnosed and 90% of the deaths have been in Wuhan province.It is also estimated that there are many cases which have not been diagnosed because the illness was not serious enough to seek medical attention.

Violence during the largest quarantine in human history. There have been some highly publicized instances of violence which have occurred. This is not abnormal during any quarantine, especially one of the scale China is imposing. During such an event…