(And I have seen a lot of terrible analysis) [Update 8/14/2020: the author has taken down the post, but here is an archived 8/13/2020 version of the webpage]
Reader Bruce Hall recommends links to this article which asserts that 2020 is not anomalous in terms of deaths. In fact, it’s 20th out the last 21 years!
From CDC, Atlantic/Covid Tracking Project, and IHME:
Today we are pleased to present a guest contribution written by Ayhan Kose and Franziska Ohnsorge, respectively Director and Manager in the World Bank’s Prospects Group. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this blog are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the World Bank, its Executive Directors, or the countries they represent.
From CDC, Atlantic/Covid Tracking Project, and IHME:
Figure 1: Weekly fatalities due to Covid-19 as reported to CDC for weeks ending on indicated dates (black), excess fatalities calculated as actual minus expected (teal), fatalities as tabulated by The Covid Tracking Project/Atlantic (dark red), IHME forecast (light red), all on log scale. Source: CDC 7/29/2020 vintage, Covid Tracking Project/Atlantic accessed 7/29/2020, IHME forecast of 7/22/2020, and author’s calculations.
Two observations: (1) the unofficial count is rising; (2) recent weeks’ (about a month’s worth) CDC data are subject to severe undercounting, so inferring recent trends on the basis of CDC data is not advisable.
From week ending February 29th through the week ending June 27th, the cumulative CDC fatality tally is 127.3 thousand. Cumulative excess fatalities is 164.8 thousand, implying an additional 37.5 thousand Covid-19 fatalities above the official tally over this period.
See figure below:
Comparing CDC tabulated Covid-19 fatalities, excess fatalities, and unofficial data (an update to this post).
I see Governor DeSantis say all is under control, as the Florida economy remains largely open. Economic activity as of mid-June did recover. But Covid-19 surges suggest a retrenchment in the future; the extent of this will depend on how much the epidemic progresses, and what the governor’s tolerance for fatalities/day is.
Believe it or not, we’re in the 3rd quarter. IHS/Markit (née Macroeconomic Advisers) informs me:
If you look at the CDC statistics without looking at the footnotes, you could be forgiven for mistakenly concluding the US was nearing zero Covid-19 fatalities.
A reader defends the Trump administration’s implementation of public health policies in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic:
Trump never dismissed the pandemic, if you look at his full quotes rather than dishonest snippets. He has always followed the advice of his senior health policy officials. And Trump did a tremendous amount to manage the pandemic. Unfortunately, he gets little credit for that, since the media has actively suppressed the Administration’s accomplishments.