
every day last week – the highest since the start of the pandemic.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0013g09/reporting-scotland-lunchtime-news-14012022
A few hours or so after I pointed out their kiddy arithmetic error in just adding up the daily figures and getting more than 50 000 off, one third of all staff and five sevenths of nursing staff, Reporting Scotland was presenting the correct daily figure but still with that wee ‘every day last week’ to imply a new 7 000 each day.
You can just hear that whiny wee voice when they find their error has been revealed: ‘If we just say the real number but add a bit about it being every day, the viewers will still add it up and be worried.’
First – The official published figures are for “man days” lost due to absence expressed in weeks, it is mathematically incompetent to interpret that figure as applying to “every day” of that week. If say a member of staff is absent 1 day to get the all clear after testing, that could be 1,000 individuals absent per day totalling 7,000.
Second – Their headline “Covid in Scotland: NHS absence rates highest since start of pandemic” is patently untrue and proven within the article.
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