State of Missouri picture of Gov. Mike Parson.
On Thursday, Gov. Mike Parson (R-MO) took to Twitter to assure the public of his efforts to prevent coronavirus outbreaks in his state:
Missouri specific: • ZERO confirmed cases • Nearly 17 people have been tested • Testing CAN be done in Missouri • P… https://t.co/UX1hlSEC1D— Governor Mike Parson (@Governor Mike Parson) 1583447788.0
Commenters on social media were deeply confused by the idea of testing "nearly" 17 people. And some pointed out that even "exactly" 17 people is nowhere near enough:
I wouldn’t feel that reassured by the “nearly 17” data point. https://t.co/eWaUWQvrPD— Ben Rhodes (@Ben Rhodes) 1583455083.0
Speaking as someone who has written a lot of bulletpoint update tweets over the last however many years, "nearly 17… https://t.co/Se8jsSOoY4— Brandon Wall (@Brandon Wall) 1583459723.0
@GovParsonMO How do you count to 'nearly 17'?— D Villella ❄️ (@D Villella ❄️) 1583452130.0
"Nearly" 17 people, Governor? "Nearly"? Did you run out of fingers & toes or something? https://t.co/220rr1mnY2— Charles #GetCovered-ba (@Charles #GetCovered-ba) 1583460812.0
@GovParsonMO So... What's nearly 17? 16? 15? 14? 3? I mean, you do know it's a small enough number to be specific, right?— Pé (@Pé) 1583452612.0
The GOP Governor of Missouri just tweeted that “Nearly 17 people have been tested” have been tested for coronavirus… https://t.co/ZtjtkwhwTq— Palmer Report (@Palmer Report) 1583455085.0
What does “nearly 17 people” mean? Like, 15 people and some hobbits or what? https://t.co/9te0eMHfsm— Daniel W. Drezner (@Daniel W. Drezner) 1583451731.0
I’m obsessed with this. It’s amazing. What does “nearly 17” mean??? https://t.co/s2koPxui7I— David Steen, Ph.D. (@David Steen, Ph.D.) 1583460326.0
Nearly? This isn’t calculus. You can’t approach 17 persons. You either have tested 17 cases or not. #coronavirus https://t.co/kIvCW4tSEX— Kendal with one L (@Kendal with one L) 1583461037.0
I love how “nearly 17” is both laughably small and weirdly imprecise. https://t.co/9Erh6h8wRM— Kevin M. Kruse (@Kevin M. Kruse) 1583459519.0
@GovParsonMO Tell us when you've tested 50,000. Also, kids may not be prone to die but if they get the virus their… https://t.co/96GKXmceap— DoNotGoGently (@DoNotGoGently) 1583451712.0
nearly 17 huh? What if I gave someone nearly 17 dollars? https://t.co/YiBKuktfHA— Biden's third best friend. (@Biden's third best friend.) 1583453177.0
My state has tested “nearly” 17 ppl for coronavirus. Nearly 17 tests. Not quite 17 tests. The Roy Moore-preferr… https://t.co/2Ro2t0U4Or— Aisha Sultan (@Aisha Sultan) 1583452387.0
