COVID-19 Deaths in America Compared

Some have wondered how other diseases’ mortality (death statistics) compares with COVID-19.

To illustrate, their questions can be stated somewhat like “on an annualized basis, how many deaths have historically occurred because of “X” disease when compared to COVID-19?”

Such a comparison examines ONLY death.

It does not examine risk.

“Death as a Strangler”; “Death playing the violin at a Masquerade during a cholera outbreak in Paris in 1831.” 1845, by Alfred Rethel (1816-1859)

It’s akin to asking “who will die?”

Answer: Your death is a 100% certainty.

Or, if you prefer, we know for a hard, cold fact, that you will die. The corollary operative Latin phrase is “memento mori,” translated literally “remember die,” and which translates functionally as “remember death,” or loosely as “remember that you must die.”

Death rates do NOT examine how quickly hospital or healthcare systems have been or could be overwhelmed with “X” disease.

In some localities, New York City most notably, COVID-19 has overwhelmed the healthcare resources of America’s most populous city.

Death rates do NOT examine the disease’s ease of transmissibility.

COVID-19 is spread by breathing. Cancer is not. Heart disease is not. Accidents are not. Cerebrovascular disease is not. Alzheimer’s is not.

Cancer, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, etc., are typically chronic (long-term) conditions.

COVID-19 is not, and has often killed in a matter of days.

Death rates do not consider the insidious nature of COVID-19, i.e., that it hides in the body, often not even making its presence known (at least 30-50% of those infected are asymptomatic, i.e., show no signs of infection – not even one, including fever), even after an incubation period that ranges from 2-14 days.

Death rates do NOT examine how utterly without treatment protocol the disease is.

Most diseases have well-established treatment protocols and standards.

COVID-19 does not.

We do not know the full extent of how much damage can be done to the body’s systems after an infection with COVID-19.

There are more unknowns than knowns with COVID-19.

Death is not the most important marker for COVID-19 comparison, neither is it the exclusive consideration.

Or else, why don’t we compare you, the reader, with Jeff Bezos or Albert Einstein, or Jeffrey Epstein to Jeffrey Dahmer?

Only two of those 5 are alive.

And you’re the second one.

But as long as you’re making comparisons…

As of today – Wednesday, 27 May 2020, at 2043 UTC (the last report having been made at 1332 CDT) – we have 99,983 COVID-19 deaths.

• 19.6484% more than diabetes claimed in 2017.

• 79.5929% more than influenza and pneumonia claimed in 2017.

• 97.4660% more than Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis (kidney diseases) claimed in 2017.

• 111.9496% more than Intentional self-harm (suicide) claimed in 2017.

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National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 68, No. 6, June 24, 2019, p9, Table C

Deaths and percentage of total deaths for the 10 leading causes of death: United States, 2016 and 2017

Rank	Cause of Death	Deaths 2017	% of Deaths 2017	Deaths 2016	% of Deaths 2016
1	Heart diseases	647,457	23.0	635,260	23.1
2	Malignant neoplasms (cancers)	599,108	21.3	598,038	21.8
3	Accidents (unintentional injury)	169,936	6.0	161,374	5.9
4	Chronic lower respiratory diseases	160,201	5.7	154,596	5.6
5	Cerebrovascular diseases	146,383	5.2	142,142	5.2
6	Alzheimer disease	121,404	4.3	116,103	4.2
7	Diabetes mellitus	83,564	3.0	80,058	2.9
8	Influenza and pneumonia	55,672	2.0	51,537	1.9
9	Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis (kidney diseases)	50,633	1.8	50,046	1.8
10	Intentional self-harm (suicide)	47,173	1.7	44,965	1.6