| I find this article disingenuous and misleading to readers. Yes, there are cultural and demographic differences between Italy, China and Germany, but the subtitle claims a level of certainty that the experts interviewed in the piece do not support. > "The country's high death toll is due to an ageing population, overstretched health system and the way fatalities are reported" This can be read with a level certainty that minimizes the seriousness of this virus for English speaking readers that may be faced with making life saving choices over the next week. Further, the Italian expert interviewed __in the article__ underlines the importance of not searching for explanations, because right now it is hard to be certain. > “It’s too early to make a comparison across Europe,” he says. “We do not have detailed sero-surveillance of the population and we do not know how many asymptomatic people are spreading it.” Unfortunately the author chooses to make exactly such a comparison in the fourth paragraph! > In very crude terms, this means that around eight per cent of confirmed coronavirus patients have died in Italy, compared to four per cent in China. By this measure Germany, which has so far identified 13,000 cases and 42 deaths, has a fatality rate of just 0.3 per cent. This is a moment where we need very concise and accurate information. Even if this article comes from a reputable source, I find it misses that mark. I find significantly more enlightening the ISS's (Istituto di Sanità Superiore) info-graphics which are prepared quasi-daily. [1] They are translated into english. [2] Stay safe out there. [1]: https://www.epicentro.iss.it/coronavirus/sars-cov-2-sorvegli...
[2]: https://www.epicentro.iss.it/coronavirus/bollettino/Infograf... |