True, I agree. Thanks for that clarification.
What is not addressed is the TA posture of the shorted stock and whether it is a micro- or macro-cap stock.
With AMRN we have fallen angel status of a micro-cap stock trading at an average volume as low as it has ever been - despite the float. That is what the elevated Days to cover is indicating (It has doubled in 1 year). This condition in effect traps shorts in a low volume situation so that if something spooks the 4%-of-the-float-herd, we will see an amplified rally that suddenly shoots prices skyward.
With beaten down small stocks like AMRN, I prefer this metric over short interest.
Anyway, that's IMO
With a larger cap stock, short interest is of more importance when expecting a squeeze.