According to the CDC, the last update (4/21/20), total cases = 776093 and total deaths = 41758. Mortality rate: 41758/776093 = 0.0538.
I have been tracking the numbers from the CDC on a daily basis. For a few days the Case Fatality Rate was stabilizing at about 4%, then, just after the CDC changed the reporting criteria, it suddenly jumped to over 5%.
Coincidence? I think not.
Total of actual cases which have not been tested has to be much higher, so mortality rate is actually lower than that.
We won’t know how many of the 776093 are yet to die or recover. The only way we know if prevalence is on the increase are the deaths that are confirmed as positive with covid 19 that occur in numbers that rise above the normal noise floor of numbers of deaths from other causes.
That is why labeling deaths as covid19 that haven’t been confirmed as such but only presumed to be is such political dirty pool. It muddies the water and does not give any well meaning politician any real data in deciding how and when to open up their states.