Probably useful to note that scorekeeping needs to NOT find itself getting measured against previous things.
There is only one goal post that does not move. That is 2018 COVID deaths.
So you can put to sleep any thoughts of “well we had 1800 deaths today but that’s less than last December/January so yay!”
There is no yay. 1800 daily COVID deaths are excess. Excess. They are in addition to normal death counts of 2018. If you had 1.7 million 65+ deaths in 2018, and you kill off 450K to COVID in 2021, that’s additional and it’s an increase of 25ish%. It also will show up in lost life expectancy for 40 yr olds.
So don’t lose track of how to keep score. The score is % additional 65+ deaths. If you think 25% is okay for that, tell your parents and grandparents your perspective.
NEW YORK — U.S. health officials say 2021 is shaping up to be even deadlier than last year.
It’s too early to say for sure, since all the death reports for November and December won’t be in for many weeks. But based on available information, it seems likely 2021 will surpass last year’s record number of deaths by at least 15,000, said Robert Anderson, who oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s death statistics.
How many fentanyl and other drug deaths occurred during the same time period?