Excess deaths are somewhat inexact on an individual basis, but sustained on the macro level. In other words, you do see the forest if don’t overly focus on the trees.
The same process is used to determine the death toll from natural disasters. In 2012 Tropical Storm Sandy, the excess deaths in New York State were determined to be 53. Two deaths came from a young couple out walking their dog, who were crushed to death by a falling tree limb hours after the storm ended. The cause of death wasn’t rain or wind, drowning or exposure, but ultimately, gravity. They still were considered storm-related deaths. https://gothamist.com/news/young-cou...rk-sandy-surge
As Will noted, a majority of Americans may have comorbidities. Relative COVID, I was diagnosed with my first COVID-risk chronic medical condition at age 11-12 and picked up a few more since then. Many Americans will live 30-40 years with a variety of diagnosed conditions that function as comorbidities. I have carded 30+ years myself so far and am planning to survive COVID too.
What is remarkable is the elevated death rate. The numbers aren’t being fudged - COVID is killing lots of people in excess of a traditional baseline. Some of those deaths might have been avoided if voters in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania didn’t vote for Democratic Governors, but as noted “old people die”. It is just a lot of older Americans are dying of COVID-related complications and a small number of younger, sometimes healthy, people are dying of flu-like symptoms in the middle of the summer, which is rare.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by jsbhike
Bookmarks