With so much conflicting data/interpretations with regards to the number of cases and deaths from Covid, I tried to find the most unbiased data set, that couldn’t be influenced by testing volume or personal judgement. Looking at the overall number of deaths, it is clear that Covid-19 is very serious and deadly. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid19/excess_deaths.htm
[img_assist|nid=27228|title=US Excess deaths|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=38]
The number of excess deaths in the US closely match (and are even higher) than the Covid death tolls published. It far outpaces any flu season, you can see compared the the 2018 “bad” flu year.
If you want to see what unmitigated spread looks like, look no further than NYC where just days/weeks of exponential spread led to death rates almost 8X normal. Not to mention the even higher number of people with serious, and possibly long-lasting symptoms that didn’t die.
[img_assist|nid=27227|title=NYC Excess Deaths|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=39]
Take a look at the different states, you will see the excess deaths closely match the various outbreaks. This is not just overblown media hype, it needs to be taken seriously.
Personally, I’m not in favor of full-shutdowns except to combat severe spikes (e.g. NYC). With proper social distancing and mask-wearing, together we can push the average transmission rate below 1 and continue to live our lives.
