Originally Posted by
inOban
I think that we also changed our reporting on June 1st. We reported a low number?111 because the other deaths were allocated to the day that they actually occurred - with the earlier data being revised upwards. That gave a discrepancy between the government number and the higher figure in worldometers, which they later revised.
You are correct, on that day, the UK included backdated pillar 2 ,i.e. commercial test centre positives from 24th April to 31st May. So yes, ‘suddenly’ another 400+ deaths came from ‘somewhere’. My biggest gripe is the media totally misrepresenting why it was done and how. That said, government could have helped themselves if they explained it rather than hide it in a tiny footnote.
However we have not changed how we report daily deaths. Spain changed their reporting method on 27th May hence the huge dive in numbers. The UK would see the same if we went the same way albeit not quite as low at this stage.
If nothing else, we have been somewhat consistent albeit poor in reporting and the media have latched onto that just as they will with ‘R’ and ONS daily infection estimates.
It’s a shame really that there is no agreed world wide reporting standard despite having the WHO and closer to home, EU standards on everything else.
My overall point remains the same, we most definitely are going in the right direction. We now need the government and media to start helping improve public confidence as that will take significant time now.