3 ms·

Not to support a dataless claim...but...isn't the fact that ~90% of tests come back negative (and tests are hard to get) indicative of their point that the vast

Not to support a dataless claim...but...isn't the fact that ~90% of tests come back negative (and tests are hard to get) indicative of their point that the vast majority of people who think they have the disease, do not? AFAIK the testing is not random at this time. https://covidtracking.com/data/ https://covidtracking.com/data/

MikeAmelung 7y ago
No, because by the time they get around to testing you, you could be completely devoid of the virus, or it could be only in your lungs, or the test just fails for whatever reason.
- tzjmetron 7y ago
  Schroedinger's Virus.
gameswithgo 7y ago
there is a ~30% chance you can still have it even with a negative test though
lend000 7y ago
The 93% I last saw is in flux and will continue to go down as flu and colds abate in the northern hemisphere and real coronavirus cases increase. This also doesn't include people who could not get tested because their symptoms were mild, even though they thought they had it.
- InitialLastName 7y ago
  > This also doesn't include people who could not get tested because their symptoms were mild My partner and I are in that boat (in the NYC area). We had a full week of mild Covid-19 symptoms (I still do not recommend); initially, we couldn't get tested because our fevers weren't high enough and we had no known exposure. By the time we established a known exposure (one of my colleagues got a test while hospitalized with pneumonia, it took a week to come back positive) our symptoms had mostly abated and they would only test sick people. So we'll never know if we had it, but have to both a) continue to isolate (for a variable amount of time, depending on who you ask) under the assumption that we're contagious and b) continue to assume we're still at risk of acquiring it. Strangely, the only symptom I have left is an oscillating sinus headache and anosmia. Fortunately, some testing I did with vanilla extract this morning indicates that my sense of smell might be healing slowly, instead of somehow permanently damaged.
throwaway_jobs 7y ago
The last numbers for tests in NY is 28% positive, and apparently suggesting and infection rate of 1 in 700.
monadic2 7y ago
Well if you think you might have the disease but you're asymptomatic you might not get the test.

MikeAmelung 7y ago

No, because by the time they get around to testing you, you could be completely devoid of the virus, or it could be only in your lungs, or the test just fails for whatever reason.

tzjmetron 7y ago
Schroedinger's Virus.

gameswithgo 7y ago

there is a ~30% chance you can still have it even with a negative test though

lend000 7y ago

The 93% I last saw is in flux and will continue to go down as flu and colds abate in the northern hemisphere and real coronavirus cases increase. This also doesn't include people who could not get tested because their symptoms were mild, even though they thought they had it.

InitialLastName 7y ago
> This also doesn't include people who could not get tested because their symptoms were mild My partner and I are in that boat (in the NYC area). We had a full week of mild Covid-19 symptoms (I still do not recommend); initially, we couldn't get tested because our fevers weren't high enough and we had no known exposure. By the time we established a known exposure (one of my colleagues got a test while hospitalized with pneumonia, it took a week to come back positive) our symptoms had mostly abated and they would only test sick people. So we'll never know if we had it, but have to both a) continue to isolate (for a variable amount of time, depending on who you ask) under the assumption that we're contagious and b) continue to assume we're still at risk of acquiring it. Strangely, the only symptom I have left is an oscillating sinus headache and anosmia. Fortunately, some testing I did with vanilla extract this morning indicates that my sense of smell might be healing slowly, instead of somehow permanently damaged.

throwaway_jobs 7y ago

The last numbers for tests in NY is 28% positive, and apparently suggesting and infection rate of 1 in 700.

monadic2 7y ago

Well if you think you might have the disease but you're asymptomatic you might not get the test.