How many people hospitalized with COVID-19 are ‘incidental’ admissions?
This week Governor Kathy Hochul required that hospitals begin reporting how many people were admitted because they had COVID-19 symptoms compared to those who were there for unrelated reasons and tested positive.
A coincidental positive test at a local hospital had been counted the same throughout the pandemic.
In the Finger Lakes region, one out of three COVID-positive patients at hospitals was not admitted for COVID-19.
The state data released shows that around 33% of people who were admitted to the hospital- and also COVID-positive, were not there because their COVID symptoms became so serious that it required hospitalization.
Across the entire state, 43% of people reported in hospitals as being COVID-positive were not admitted for COVID or COVID symptoms.
In Central New York 20% of hospitalized patients make up the non-COVID symptom pool. In the Southern Tier, it’s even closer to the state average- sitting at 39% of total admissions testing positive for COVID despite being there for non-COVID reasons.
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