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Re: "It's just the flu"

Comparisons of flu deaths and COVID deaths are meaningless because the CDC does not count them the same way.

About half of COVID deaths involve pneumonia or Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).

However, when COVID and pneumonia, or COVID and ARDS, are on the same death certificate, COVID is the Underlying Cause of Death (UCOD) 100% of the time.

The exact reverse is true for influenza and severe common colds.

At least half of pneumonia deaths, and at least half of ARDS deaths, are preceded by influenza or a severe cold.

However, on death certificates, influenza and severe common colds are the UCOD only about 10% of the time.

The National Center for Health Statistics says that the USA Excess Total Death number in 2020 was about 550,000 higher than the average of 2018-2019.

That is close to a 20% increase, which is obviously very serious.

For the first 11 weeks of 2021, USA Excess Total Deaths are up about 16% compared to 2018-19, which is still very serious.

The good news is that healthy people under age 60 have a COVID death rate that is less than or equal to the death rate in an average flu season.

Bottom Line...

Protect the elderly and the infirm.

Everyone else, back to your normal life!