# COVID-19 Cases, Deaths, and Recoveries **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [June 30, 2020, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-cases-deaths-and-recoveries/913847 "2020-06-30T21:16:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2020, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-cases-deaths-and-recoveries/913847/1 "2020-06-30T21:16:02Z")
Just a quick question, as I have not been following this story that closely lately. Yesterday on FOX, I saw the usual list of total cases and deaths in the US, but also a piece of data that I don’t recall seeing anywhere else: total number of recoveries from the virus. Has anyone seen this on CNN or MSNBC or the like? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2020, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-cases-deaths-and-recoveries/913847/2 "2020-06-30T21:26:06Z")
How is “recovery” being defined? Is it no aftereffects, or is it “didn’t die…yet”? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2020, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-cases-deaths-and-recoveries/913847/3 "2020-06-30T21:31:18Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > Yesterday on FOX, I saw the usual list of total cases and deaths in the US, but also a piece of data that I don’t recall seeing anywhere else: total number of recoveries from the virus. Has anyone seen this on CNN or MSNBC or the like? Many of the COVID trackers like John Hopkins or the Worldmeter track recoveries as well. It’s as well-vetted as these things can be. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2020, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-cases-deaths-and-recoveries/913847/4 "2020-06-30T22:30:30Z")
It was defined by the word “Recoveries”. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-cases-deaths-and-recoveries/913847/5 "2020-07-01T01:30:03Z")
Then it was not defined at all. ---
**Author:** ![RealityCheck71](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitycheck71/32/3493_2.png) [@RealityCheck71](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityCheck71)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-cases-deaths-and-recoveries/913847/6 "2020-07-01T01:35:31Z")
Yes, I noted early in the pandemic that recovery numbers were getting included. And recovery means what you think it would afaik.They no longer have an active infection and aren’tdead. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-cases-deaths-and-recoveries/913847/7 "2020-07-01T11:35:15Z")
Thanks for the reply. Can I assume since you didn’t answer my question, that you have not seen this stat on CNN or MSNBC? ---
**Author:** ![Wallet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e99b99/32.png) [@Wallet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallet)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-cases-deaths-and-recoveries/913847/8 "2020-07-01T15:23:19Z")
Gov Cuomo of NY held televised daily briefings for almost 4 months, and just stopped them 10 days ago. Among the data he presented were graphs and charts tallying recoveries. CNN televised each one of his briefings, so for that small pinpoint of data they did let the public know the daily number of recoveries in NYS, and whether it trended up or down daily, weekly, and monthly. ETA: not sure if MSNBC televised these briefings as well. Also, for about the last 2 months Cuomo listed the recovery stats daily per region as well as a total for the state ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-cases-deaths-and-recoveries/913847/9 "2020-07-01T15:43:31Z")
In standard epidemiological parlance, “recovered” includes “died from the disease we’re tracking.” In the argot, “recovered” means precisely “is no longer infectious”; nothing more and nothing less. Specifically it says nothing whatsoever about how much harm befell the no-longer-infectious person. 100% normal = “recovered”. Crippled for life = “recovered”. In a persistent coma = “recovered”. Dead = “recovered”. So much for the naive idea the term means something clear and obvious to the layman. ---
**Author:** ![RealityCheck71](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitycheck71/32/3493_2.png) [@RealityCheck71](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityCheck71)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-cases-deaths-and-recoveries/913847/10 "2020-07-01T15:49:28Z")
That’s how this lay man interpreted it. I am well aware that someone who recovers from a gunshot wound may still have a limp. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-cases-deaths-and-recoveries/913847/11 "2020-07-01T15:53:48Z")
A man who recovers from a gunshot wound may also have lost an eye, a leg, an arm, a kidney, maybe even a bit of brain. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-cases-deaths-and-recoveries/913847/12 "2020-07-02T03:00:21Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > In standard epidemiological parlance, “recovered” includes “died from the disease we’re tracking.” You’re saying “Recovered” includes dead people? Cite please: I’ve been googling for confirmation that that’s what it means, unsuccessfully. [A person who was infected with and survived a virus with no long-term health effects or disabilities has “recovered.”](https://theconversation.com/what-does-recovered-from-coronavirus-mean-4-questions-answered-about-how-some-survive-and-what-happens-next-134883) [Medically, a person must be fever-free without fever-reducing medications for three consecutive days. They must show an improvement in their other symptoms, including reduced coughing and shortness of breath. And it must be at least seven full days since the symptoms began.](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/what-recovered-from-coronavirus-means) Etc. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-cases-deaths-and-recoveries/913847/13 "2020-07-02T03:11:05Z")
I’ll add that “Recovered” seems to have always been a well-intentioned but sadly a bullshit statistic, since it doesn’t seem to be updated properly or at all. Deaths seem like a reliable metric, “New Cases” less so because it fluctuates so crazily. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-cases-deaths-and-recoveries/913847/14 "2020-07-02T13:38:01Z")
Snowboarder Bo has been including recoveries in his Breaking News posts for as long as I’ve been reading them. Where does he get his data? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-cases-deaths-and-recoveries/913847/16 "2020-07-02T16:15:38Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > Snowboarder Bo has been including recoveries in his Breaking News posts for as long as I’ve been reading them. Where does he get his data? My recollection is Bo samples [Worldometer](https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/) at a specific time every day, 9pm-ish ---
**Author:** ![Tfletch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tfletch1/32/5340_2.png) [@Tfletch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tfletch1)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-cases-deaths-and-recoveries/913847/17 "2020-07-02T16:33:32Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > In the argot, “recovered” means precisely “is no longer infectious”; nothing more and nothing less. Specifically it says nothing whatsoever about how much harm befell the no-longer-infectious person. 100% normal = “recovered”. Crippled for life = “recovered”. In a persistent coma = “recovered”. Dead = “recovered”. I’m not an epidemiologist but I’ve never heard of “death” being part of “recovery”. Do you have a cite for this? I suspect someone is conflating “recovered” with “resolved” or “closed” cases. A case that is no longer active will have ended in either death, recovery or disability. I haven’t seen anywhere where disabilities are being reported but we may see this in future research. Recovered cases are probably determined by signs, symptoms and test results (although covid test results have been tricky). ---
**Author:** ![Tinmansd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinmansd/32/3618_2.png) [@Tinmansd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinmansd)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2020, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-cases-deaths-and-recoveries/913847/18 "2020-07-04T22:32:34Z")
Conflating “recovered” with “resolved” is a fairly common mistake. Keep asking questions. ---
**Author:** ![RealityCheck71](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitycheck71/32/3493_2.png) [@RealityCheck71](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityCheck71)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2020, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-cases-deaths-and-recoveries/913847/19 "2020-07-04T23:07:26Z")
You guys are being nice. Thinking “dead” is included in “recovered” is kinda loony tunes.