data on COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations

[GoodTaste]

Does "data on COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations" refer to "data on COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 hospitalizations (that is,the hospitalizations particularly refer to the hospitalizations because of COVID-19)"?

====================
The CDC was further sidelined in July, scientists say, when the Trump administration announced that data on COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations would be diverted away from the agency, and handled instead by a new system launched at the HHS, whose head reports directly to the president. So far, the HHS's dashboard has been up to a week behind in reporting data, and it includes information only on case counts and hospital capacity, rather than details such as the location of disease clusters. An HHS spokesperson says that the new system streamlines reporting from 6,000 hospitals in the country.

Source: Nature 25 AUGUST 2020
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02478-z

 

[PeterCW]

All I can say is "ask the author", I find it ambiguous as well.

 

[SoothingDave]

Why would anyone care about how many people are hospitalized for other causes? How many must be hospitalized due to the virus is a useful metric.

 

[tzfujimino]

Why would anyone care about how many people are hospitalized for other causes? How many must be hospitalized due to the virus is a useful metric.

Yes, but if we take the collapse of medical/health-care system into consideration, the number of people who have been hospitalized for causes other than COVID-19 is very important, isn't it?

 

[emsr2d2]

I agree that the total number of hospitalisations is no doubt important but I think, in the context of the piece, I would still take it to mean "data on Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 hospitalisations".

 

[GoesStation]

I agree that the total number of hospitalisations is no doubt important but I think, in the context of the piece, I would still take it to mean "data on Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 hospitalisations".

That's the only reasonable way to understand the sentence.

 

[Tdol]

Why would the government be trying to cover up the number of heart attacks? It only makes sense to me as Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 hospitalisations.