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Tracking Hospitalizations Rather Than Confirmed Cases

JimO

JimO

Well-known member
Now that many states have scaled back routine testing, the only numerical indicator of H1N1's spread, other than deaths, is hospitalizations. I have been maintaining a spreadsheet with state-by-state populations, reported cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. Where data are available, the hospitalizations per million residents has tracked well with confirmed cases (but this relationship is breaking down with less testing); however, the death rates are all over the place, with a poor correlation to populations or confirmed cases. Now that testing criteria have changed, it might be helpful if the CDC reported hospitalizations.

I've been exploring the state health department sites and some are reporting hospitalization data. Does anyone know if this is a federal requirement? The State of Washington, for example, indicates on its site that it must report hospitalizations by law and that no additional case reporting will be conducted.

Some states have current data that can be easily found on their websites. Others simply provide links to the CDC. I hope this isn't politically or economically motivated.
 
Re: Tracking Hospitalizations Rather Than Confirmed Cases

you've definitely got your work cut out for you there. I do a lot of news research for the thread on New York State cases, and all I can tell you is that the only place consistently releasing hospitalization numbers in my state is NYC. Although now that 23 people have died in the city they have moved the numbers off the main H1N1 webpage. All the other counties in New York only occasionally let hospitalization numbers slip in a press release here or there.

I get the feeling that the official attitude toward H1N1, at least in New York, is "the less we say about it, the better". And yes, economically motivated. One look at what happened to Mexico's economy shut everybody up here in the U.S. real fast.
 
Re: Tracking Hospitalizations Rather Than Confirmed Cases

appleblossom said:
you've definitely got your work cut out for you there.
Click to expand...
You're right. After going through each state health department website, I only found 14 reporting hospitalizations plus those reported by NYC. Utah states that it is only testing hospitalized cases so that all new cases should be hospitalizations. I can't recall whether it is New Jersey or New Hampshire, but whichever one states that it is only testing hospitalizations and clusters. I'm hoping that most of the states will start reporting hospitalizations in lieu of confirmed cases now that the case numbers are getting high.
 
Re: Tracking Hospitalizations Rather Than Confirmed Cases

In Texas Influenza is not even listed as a reportable event including in the case of Hospitalization and/or Death. So good luck in trying to track that which may or may not currently being reported but the way the numbers are adding up it can't remain this way long.
 
Re: Tracking Hospitalizations Rather Than Confirmed Cases

This would be a very valuable thing to track, it would give a much better indication of community infection vs. the case counts which are at this stage of the game virtually meaningless.

Some may be media reported, however you would have to be careful not to double up. If you start a thread for it I would be happy to contribute as I come across reports or find states revealing totals.
 
Re: Tracking Hospitalizations Rather Than Confirmed Cases

Source: http://www.astho.org/pubs/19JUN2009...df?PHPSESSID=c8ac2f3a25d8532361689c9b4cdb0ccd

The CDC Director's Brief from June 19th indicated 2,228 hospitalizations as of June 18th. I have a graph in Excel, but I can't figure out how to copy and paste it into the thread. The slope of the line hasn't decreased much. Here are the data.

5/3/09 30
5/4/09 35
5/7/09 42
5/8/09 57
5/9/09 104
5/12/09 116
5/15/09 173
5/19/09 229
5/20/09 247
5/21/09 249
5/22/09 302
5/25/09 317
5/27/09 426
5/28/09 507
6/2/09 716
6/4/09 770
6/5/09 1,027
6/11/09 1,621
6/18/09 2,228
 
Re: Tracking Hospitalizations Rather Than Confirmed Cases

JimO said:
Source: http://www.astho.org/pubs/19JUN2009...df?PHPSESSID=c8ac2f3a25d8532361689c9b4cdb0ccd

The CDC Director's Brief from June 19th indicated 2,228 hospitalizations as of June 18th. I have a graph in Excel, but I can't figure out how to copy and paste it into the thread. The slope of the line hasn't decreased much. Here are the data.

5/3/09 30
5/4/09 35
5/7/09 42
5/8/09 57
5/9/09 104
5/12/09 116
5/15/09 173
5/19/09 229
5/20/09 247
5/21/09 249
5/22/09 302
5/25/09 317
5/27/09 426
5/28/09 507
6/2/09 716
6/4/09 770
6/5/09 1,027
6/11/09 1,621
6/18/09 2,228
Click to expand...

Here is the graph of JimO's data showing the new hospitalized cases by date. Even with the sporadic reporting, the number of new hospitalizations has been steadily increasing since the end of May.
New Hospitalizations 20090619.jpg
 
Re: Tracking Hospitalizations Rather Than Confirmed Cases

JimO said:
Now that many states have scaled back routine testing, the only numerical indicator of H1N1's spread, other than deaths, is hospitalizations. I have been maintaining a spreadsheet with state-by-state populations, reported cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. Where data are available, the hospitalizations per million residents has tracked well with confirmed cases (but this relationship is breaking down with less testing); however, the death rates are all over the place, with a poor correlation to populations or confirmed cases. Now that testing criteria have changed, it might be helpful if the CDC reported hospitalizations.

I've been exploring the state health department sites and some are reporting hospitalization data. Does anyone know if this is a federal requirement? The State of Washington, for example, indicates on its site that it must report hospitalizations by law and that no additional case reporting will be conducted.

Some states have current data that can be easily found on their websites. Others simply provide links to the CDC. I hope this isn't politically or economically motivated.
Click to expand...

Suggestion:
Write President Obama, explain to him the issue, and ask him to make all states report H1N1 daily by :

hospitalizations and deaths
Age
sex
undelying condtitions


If US do this, it is also possible for other countries to follow how the H1N1 development at, at least, one continent.
As the pandemic evolve, it seems to getting harder and harder to follow/compare the development due to that the way countries/counties ect change the ways the report H1N1.


Here is a link to President Obama :

http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/

CONTACT US
President Obama is committed to creating the most open and accessible administration in American history. To send questions, comments, concerns, or well-wishes to the President or his staff, please use the form below:
 
Re: Tracking Hospitalizations Rather Than Confirmed Cases

More suggestion:

Suggest to president Obama that ONE report scheme/system should be designed and used by all states

They could design a website were health authorities could go and plot in their daily reports.
 
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