COVID-19 DEATHS

    From Worldometer (new  COVID-19 deaths yesterday):

          DAY  USA  WORLD    Brazil    India    South Africa

June     9     1093     4732         1185        246       82

July    22      1205     7128         1293      1120     572

Aug    12      1504     6556        1242        835     130

Sept     9      1208      6222       1136       1168       82

Oct     21      1225      6849         571        703       85

Nov    25       2304    12025        620        518      118

Dec    30       3880    14748       1224       299      465

Jan     14       4142    15512        1151       189      712

Feb      3       4005    14265       1209       107      398

Mar      2       1989     9490        1726       110      194

April     6        906    11787         4211       631       37

May     4        853     13667        3025      3786     59 

June    1        287    10637         2346      3205      95

 July    7         251      8440        1595        817      411

Aug     4         656    10120        1118        532      423 

Sept   22      2228      9326          839        279     124

Oct      6       2102      8255          543       315       59

Nov    3        1436      7830         186        458       23

Dec     1       1633      8475          266        477       28

Jan     7        2025      6729         148         285     140

Feb     2        2990   12012          946        991      175

Mar     2        1778     7756          335         173       28 

Apr     1          439      4056         290          52        12

May    5          225      2404         151            ?        64 

June    2         216      1413         130          10        31 

           9          195      1526         148          24        24 

         15          305      1382         289          11        26

Summary:

• 
  Just when you thought all was going well, these new Omicron subvariants continued to infect a variety of people, some for the second time.
• Late night TV hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, James Corden and Stephen Colbert, plus Jon Batiste.
• Dr. Anthony Fauci, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Doug Emhoff (husband of Kamala Harris).
• Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles (second time) and Duchess of Cornwall Camilla.
• 
  Elton John, Robin Roberts, Sarah Jessica Parker/Mathew Broderick, Bill Maher, Justin Bieber, Simon Cowell, Daniel Craig, Larry King, Miley Cyrus, Anderson Cooper, Mick Jagger, Whoopie Goldberg, Kelly Rippa, Michael Strahan, Eric Clapton, Sean Penn, David/Victoria Beckham, Amy Schumer, Zoey Deutch, Madonna, Mel Gibson, Rock Johnson, Kevin Hart, Antonio Banderas, Bryan Cranston, Usain Bolt,  Novak Djokovic, Jack Nicklaus, 17 players and staff of the Miami Marlins baseball team, Barry Manilow, 6 members of BTS, Hugh Jack for the second time...and more.

• A few older celebrities have passed away, like Charley Pride (right, 86), Trini Lopez (83), Tom Seaver (75), Phil Spector (81), Cloris Leachman (94), Meat Loaf (74)...but no youngish famous person.
• Of course many notable people were infected and did not survive.  Here is a list of more than a thousand from Wikipedia.

• 
  I don't think I know one person who has died from COVID.  Seniors' communities are notorious for this pandemic, as those 65 and older (16% of national population) represent 75% of all deaths.

• 
  While Hawaii has had the worst number of new cases/capita of all states in the Union for several weeks now, there has been only about a death/day.
• In other words, with 1000 cases/day, the mortality rate is 0.1%, which is about the same as the seasonal flu.
• In fact, as the number of COVID cases are certainly higher, for those who take rapid tests at home generally don't report a positive result, there is a factor of from 2 to 10 affecting the actual mortality rate.
• Thus, with the level of vaccination/booster shots, plus previous infections, this means that the mortality rate of COVID-19 today is much lower than the seasonal flu.  
• Of course, the number of actual flu cases is also largely unknown, as the asymptomatic rate is guessed to be 30%, plus many flu cases are just not reported.
• The bottom line is fuzzy, but the mortality rate of our pandemic is today similar to the seasonal flu, which society tolerates.
• At least for Hawaii, which I think is generally representative of the nation and world.
• Hawaii ranks #1 in lowest rate of deaths in nursing homes with 19/1000.
• 
  To summarize:
• Worldometer World COVID-19 deaths:  6,336,523.
• Nature reported that by the end of 2021 the actual number of COVID-19 deaths was 18 million, not the reported 6 million.
• If so, you had a 1 chance in 438 of dying.
• 
  How does COVID-19 compare to the Spanish Flu of 1918/19 in deaths?
• The total deaths a century ago are a huge guess, with estimates up to 100 million deaths.  However, 50 million is generally taken to be the reasonable number, with 500 million cases, or a mortality rate of 10%.  Keep in mind that current Worldometer data indicate that the mortality rate of COVID-19 is about one-tenth, or 1.2%.
• The population in 1918 was 1.8 billion. 
• Thus, there was a 1 chance in 36 of dying in that pandemic of a century ago.

Death is so permanent.  Everyone reading this is alive.  Consider yourself lucky.  Sure, we have a pandemic, but the mortality rate is maybe now lower than the seasonal flu.  Go out and safely enjoy life.

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