Congressman-elect Luke Letlow dies from COVID-19

WDSU ^ | 12/29/20

[Meatspace]

SHREVEPORT, La. — Congressman-elect Luke Letlow has died after contracting COVID-19 last week, according to his campaign manager Andrew Bautsch.

Letlow, who just turned 41, was getting treatment in the intensive care unit in Shreveport, according to an announcement on his Twitter page last week.

[vigilante2]

How did I get on your list?

[rlmorel]

My apologies. I was responding to a variety of posts on a thread. I will try to remember not to include you in the future.

[palmer]

2,854,838 died in 2019 with no covid
2,835,533 died in 2020

You are comparing final 2019 numbers to outdated provisional 2020 numbers. The provisional numbers show 2,882,500 plus January (240,000) or 3.1 million. See https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid19/index.htm The reporting for the week ending Dec 26th is 90% incomplete.

[rlmorel]

Yes...it may be as deadly and probably even more deadly than previous viruses we have been subject to in the past, but in no way does it justify our national suicide we have allowed ourselves to be subjected to, in my opinion.

[palmer]

probably even more deadly than previous viruse

More than "probably".' The deaths per week in the worst flu are 1000 per week. In the worst week in wave 1 we had 2,300 deaths a week. In wave 2 which just peaked we had 2,750 deaths a week. Given a generous estimate of spread beyond known cases, it's likely that the fatalities per infection are 2-3 times higher than flu.

[palmer]

If this had been a pathogen with a 40% mortality rate like Buobonic Plague, all of those things listed above would be justified, and furthermore, you wouldn't have complaints about infringements on civil rights, abuses by government, or complaints about wearing masks.

Your comment was pretty much correct overall. The cure has been worse than the disease. However as was shown in Sweden, draconian measures are not required to tank the economy. Their economy dropped 8% in a quarter just like ours, and more than other Scandanavian countries. That's because the people self-quarantined. They didn't go out. The pictures of full Swdish restaurants were eye candy.

The bottom line from all global responses including Sweden is that people are perfectly capable of deciding for themselves. If they want to take risks, that's fine. The government should do their best to protect the elderly, not kill them as Cuomo did, by igoring federal guidelines.

[rlmorel]

Even still, but I regard that in the big picture as irrelevant.

My point stands that destroying our country by locking it down is not justified in any way.

Even if any additional deaths (and that steadfastly includes my own due to existing co-morbidities and age) occur.

And that is the discussion that should have been happening, but was both discouraged and eliminated, allowing emotional and political forces to be the driving ones.

[rlmorel]

I agree. As I said, if this had a mortality rate of even 15%, you wouldn’t have to use government mandates to close businesses, have people self-quarantine, or wear masks.

People would do that because it would be the intelligent thing to do, and they could make their own choices.

[Balding_Eagle]

I probably can find more scientifically documented evidence for my assertion than you can for yours.

[DOC44]

so you say 3.1 million projected ... a 240,000 increase over a year with a year of a pandemic and Cuomo killing all he old folks in nursing homes ..... point remains the same.

[rlmorel]

"...People would do that because it would be the intelligent thing to do, and they could make their own choices..."

And the people who wouldn't make the correct choice would likely die at a higher rate, but that would be their choice.

However, ensuring the protection of people who could not make that choice appropriately or at all due to mental incapacitation, such as people in nursing homes, long term rehabs, rehabs, or hospitals, well...there DOES have to be mandatory protections for them.

[palmer]

so you say 3.1 million projected

No. Those are provisional numbers not projected numbers. 90% of the deaths from week ending Dec 26th have yet to be reported. The deaths this year will be approximately 400k higher than last year.

a 240,000 increase over a year with a year of a pandemic and Cuomo killing all he old folks in nursing homes

Keep in mind he and the others killed them with COVID. Had he not done that, many would still be alive. That's the entire point. COVID kills people prematurely especially the very old. The very old are obviously only a little premature since a flu would kill them just as easily. However many of the very old are given flu shots and pneumonia shots.

[HotHunt]

To begin with, thanks for responding.

I am not trying to minimize this poor man's death. It was unfortunate but people do die all of the time at all ages from a variety of causes. It is not that unusual.

I'm just trying to point out that, even though he may have died "from" complications contracted from the corona virus, with all of the unreliability and manipulation of the numbers being reported by authorities, it is hard to tell with certainty, what he died from.

Where do you get the 5-10 times smaller chance statistic? Seems very imprecise.

I don't have to explain the 400,000 number. In fact, I've read just the opposite. That there aren't more deaths this year than in past years. Who knows? It's hard to trust the veracity of anything one reads nowadays.

What is the "average" death rate in the US? The term "average" has numerous possibilities for what the source may intend it to mean. Mean, median, mode, middle, midpoint, center, norm, standard, rule, par.

Statistics are a tricky thing. Numbers are easily manipulated to mean anything the source wants them to mean.

I learned this in graduate school when I took one of the most valuable courses I took in college. It was taught be a former insurance executive who gave us example after example of how companies can spin the numbers to justify their decisions or policies. It made me skeptical of numbers and statistics put out by so-called "authorities" in reports, studies and citations throughout my military and business careers and in life in general.

[DOC44]

So what is your point? Are there millions more people die in 2020 than in 2019? Are millions more projected to die in 2020 than in 2019? If Cuomo had not placed covid patients in nursing homes would all those who contracted covid in nursing home died anyway in 2020? Not asking for a friend.

[Enlightened1]

Yes it is quite remarkable.

It’s funny because everyone that I know that follows your industries advice end up in medical hell. Either they have a life time of issues that never seems to end or they end up dead. That is a great track record you have there!....(sarcasm off)

No offense but I don’t trust any “profession” that has an average life span of 59 years. For the most part your industry is a lapdog for Big Pharmaceuticals. I know you know this is true deep down inside. You have betrayed your Hippocratic oaths for the love of money.

[Enlightened1]

Okay sheep. Now go take your medication.

[Swiffer_Ralf]

You put a huge amount of thought, effort and truth into your reply, for this I thank you, to cover it all in one reply would not do it justice nor am I going to attempt that.

There are sections I will reply to an present my position on these, it should make for lighter reading for others on small screens.

In closing may I add that your well stated section on the REAL PROBLEM, is from my point of view completely accurate and very much what I perceive as correct.

Deepest Respects

Ralf.

[rlmorel]

Thank you, Ralf. I think it would be helpful to all of us to have a real discussion about it.

I think most people understand a rational view towards this (including many on the left ) but there is a lot of emotion and anger involved in it.

On my part as well.

I had an acquaintance recently who died, and while I did not know him as well as I know some other people, I had spent time with him over the years in a large group of friends and liked him very much.

He had very little or no family that I was aware of, and during this pandemic, we were not given the opportunity as friends to pay him the appropriate respect, and as a result I believe he died alone with his life un-celebrated, and that did fill me with a great deal of anger. Is filled with anger because I view that as a by product of this pandemic and the associated lockdown.

[StAnDeliver]

He went in 10 days earlier after complaining that his symptoms weren't improving, which means he likely was in his second week when he went in. So there's one problem right there -- what treatment was he getting before he went in?

And they probably intubated him once he went in and you can guess the rest.

[palmer]

In fact, I've read just the opposite. That there aren't more deaths this year than in past years.

Then give a link and we'll look at the numbers and sources. The provisional (incomplete) CDC numbers show a large increase in deaths. Those are real deaths reported through the real and slow reporting system. The COVID death reporting is separate and may very well be inflated. But the real actual dead people have increased almost 300k in partial reporting. WIth full reporting that will be about 400k.