This report looks at the staggering and disproportionate nature of COVID-19 fatalities in the United States, which now ranks first in the world in the total number of fatalities, to estimate how many deaths were “avoidable.” With more than 217,0001,2 lives lost, and a proportional mortality rate twice that of neighboring Canada and more than fifty times that of Japan -- a country with a much older population than the U.S. – the United States has turned a global crisis into a devastating tragedy.
Through comparative analysis and applying proportional mortality rates, we estimate that at least 130,000 deaths and perhaps as many as 210,000 could have been avoided with earlier policy interventions and more robust federal coordination and leadership.
This paragraph and table show how things could have been:
We have 4% of the world's population and yet, the United States has 20% of the Covid deaths, all due to the utter fecklessness of the Trump Administration, the Republican governors who are too craven to do anything but kiss TGrump's ass, and the Covidiots who follow his line of bullshit and propaganda.
Trump is probably in the running for the title of Worst President in American History.
Heckuvajob, Trumpie.
12 comments:
And supported by 42% of American voters. Hell's handcart isn't nearly big enough.
Considering that the population density of Canada is around 4 people per sq.km. while the population density of the U.S. is about 36 per sq.km., it really is not a fair comparison. Canada has one of the lowest population densities in the world. That makes a difference, as to how the Coronavirus 19 can spread.
As for saying that Coronavirus 19 has caused an increase in deaths, that may be true, or it may be false. Just because a person with a comorbidity dies, saying that C-19 was a contributing factor might be right, but it also might be wrong. Even as late into the pandemic, which certainly is deadly to some people, the scientists and doctors are learning more about it every day.
As many people who hate the President, that is no excuse for some groups to come out and threaten violence if he wins the election. And the same thing goes for those on the right, or far right. For them to say things like, Bring It! or to threaten to go to anyplace that people are protesting peacefully, and violently attack them, if both irresponsible and illegal.
I am not so naive to think that this election won't be contentious, and that it won't bring violence with it, in many places. I am just saying that peaceful protests are part of what makes America different from most other nation's, but violence is wrong, no matter how angry you are with the outcome.
The transition period, no matter which way the election goes, should be one of a peaceful and united nation. In 2016, we didn't see that, and in 2020, we won't see that again. Many will attempt to blame that on Trump. While Trump is responsible for many things he has done wrong, mostly from his Twitter account, the Obama administration did not help him in the transition period, at all. A president who had the best interests of the nation at heart, would have overlooked the shock and disappointment at the election of someone that they never thought or wanted to be elected, and would have done everything they could do to make sure that the next 4 years were marked with at the very least, an administration that was under control from the beginning. Of course, that didn't happen, and it also didn't happen for Obama from G.W. Bush, either, who didn't give Obama enough help to understand proper protocol for celebrations, and led to a couple being able to crash an inaugural party. Both sides have been much too partisan for a long time,with the only president in memory who could work with both sides of the aisle being a man who many hated for his character, Bill Clinton. He is not only brilliant, but understands people and how to work with them. Politically I am at odds with him, but he was a good president,who balanced the budget, working with both the tech boom, and Newt Gingrich. Sadly, even a man like him could not get the two sides to sit down and work together now. Best wishes for everyone over the next few weeks, and for our nation over the coming months, that all will be safe,and no matter the outcome of the election, we can somehow find common ground.
pigpen51
PP51, you are, unfortunately, quite wrong. The outgoing administration ran a tabletop exercise in dealing with a pandemic for the incoming staff. It's not the fault of the outgoing staff that neither few in the incoming administration took it seriously, nor is it their fault that the few who did take it seriously were no longer there come January, 2020.
The population density of Canada that you cite is misleading. A large portion of Canada is, essentially, uninhabitable. About 90% of the population lives within an hour's drive of the southern border.
So, about 8,850km border, 100km depth, 885,000 sq. km. 90% of the population is about 34 million people. Which gives a population density of 38.4 people per sq. km.
Therefore, objection overruled.
Next point: We are at about 300,000 excess deaths so far this year. The 80,000 extra deaths may be from people who didn't seek attention in time because of far of the pandemic. Whether those deaths can be attributed to the pandemic is a debatable point.
Nowhere in my post is any discussion or mention of possible post-election violence. So that entire discussion in your comment is a massive non sequitur.
Pigpen,
Since most of Canada is vast and empty the comparison is like NY State
to the Dakotas. NYS has 16 million give or take, North Dakota is maybe
900,000.
I happen to know people in Canada and not in the southerns cities.
For example NWT is sparse very sparse but YellowKnife is as dense
as the local neighborhood in eastern Ma. However to go from
anywhere in Canada to YK, Nunavut or anywhere else you have a two
week quarantine imposed on arrival.
Simplify as you might the cases were there too, they reacted hard
and fast as hospitals and all are many hours away for more than
basic care. So universal quarantine and masks when the cases
hit zero for a bit they went back to a new normal but realizing one
case and the game begins again. And they know that and take it
seriously.
Eck!
I will agree with you on the population part, and concede your point. However, I was not speaking of the pandemic when speaking about the Obama administrations transition. Not only was it a hostile transition, but Obama made many decisions and moves during the last lame duck days of his administration. His supporters said back in 2016 that the president is the president until January 20th and he is within his rights to do everything he is entitled to do as president up until that day. I wonder if those same people would like to look back at the transcripts of their words and compare them to things like, oh I don't know, the recent SCOTUS nomination and seating of a new justice.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/31/us/politics/obama-last-days-trump-transition.html
pigpen51
One rule for Obama(no Supreme Court nominations in an election year) vs Trump, where’s it now okay. Can’t talk about that, can you, PP?
It's a Zen thing pigpen, or not, as it may, or may not, be. Aeh?
Better save whatever they're payin' ya, they're comin' for your SS too.
1. Columbia is major league in this domain
2. The faulty Canadian comparison falls in this domain of bullshit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AXyeKbw3tU
3. Excess deaths is a valid way to analyze the true effect of the plague. There are plenty of valid reference classes to use. Some people get Nobel prizes in this domain:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reference_class_forecasting
4. Comrade Misfit may not be a mathematician by training, but thinks like one.
Carry on
I never said that the Republicans were not hypocrites about the entire judicial nomination issue. My comparison was that Obama was doing things to both cement his legacy and to thwart Trump's ability to change the things that Obama had done during his time in office.
Not to mention the last minute pardoning of hundreds of those incarcerated for drug crimes. Myself, I am an opponent of any drug crimes at all. I think that it brings about the same thing that prohibition did in the 1920's did, such as Al Capone and like criminals. Any law that is made, just for the " good of the people" as opposed to punishing real criminal behavior, is a bad law. The only reason that drug addicts steal to buy drugs, is that drugs are artificially expensive due to their being illegal,making drug dealers rich and drug users steal.
Also given the exact same circumstances, you can bet your mothers engagement ring that they would have pushed through a more liberal leaning Justice and seated them onto the SCOTUS. The Supreme Court has sadly become political, since Ted Kennedy decided that Robert Bork, one of the most qualified legal minds ever to be nominated to the court, should be both rejected from the court,and also be dishonored for life. Since then, the court has been political, at least from the left.
The fact that the court has become a de facto extra legislative body is nothing that the constitution ever meant and the founding fathers intended.
It is fine to talk about just how excess deaths are a valid method of analyzing the effect of a plague. What you fail to account for is the typical number of deaths that would normally be experienced in a country with a population of over 330 million people. I would want to see the numbers of deaths that are attributed to the typical causes, such as heart disease, pneumonia, cancer, etc. The thing is, if those numbers are down, considerably, it could indicate that many of the cases attributed to Covid19 were actually cases of the other diseases, and Covid19 was perhaps a contributing factor that coincidentally was present in a disease that would have resulted in death anyway.
As I have read on several places, the methodology of the testing for Covid19 is actually being done to a much greater degree than is typical, and can result in a false positive. That may be why we are seeing so many people diagnosed with the virus with no symptoms. The doctors and scientists are learning more every day, and hopefully, one day, they will have at the least, an effective treatment for the illness. A vaccine rushed too fast, scares me, and one tried in Korea was stopped, due to so many deaths from people in the trials.
pigpen51
I never said that the Republicans were not hypocrites about the entire judicial nomination issue. My comparison was that Obama was doing things to both cement his legacy and to thwart Trump's ability to change the things that Obama had done during his time in office.
Still trying to both side things, are you sure you’re not the reincarnation of David Broder?
The fact that the court has become a de facto extra legislative body is nothing that the constitution ever meant and the founding fathers intended.
It started with Marbury vs. Madison. Learn some history before you make such comments in the future.
Out of respect for the host of this blog, I will make this my last post on this subject. Dark Avenger,I am very well educated on the case of Marbury v Madison, which was actually a very bad decision, and was made solely for the SCOTUS to grab more power than the founders intended them to have.
The Judicial branch of the Federal Government was intended to be the weakest branch. I won't go into the various roles of each branch, which I am sure that everyone is well aware.
As to both sides of the issue? I believe that I have mentioned before, on several occasions that I am neither a Democrat or a Republican. I consider myself more of a constitutionalist. And I am conservative on many things, and also liberal on some things, such as wishing to protect those least able to care for themselves. Not by building bigger government, but by making certain that the government always considers what effect their actions have on people most in danger of new programs and policies.
You might find me to be wishy/washy, but myself, I feel that I am in fact, able to see more than just black or white, when it comes to the various issues that affect the country today. As always, it has been interesting to discuss things with all of you, and I will let you get back to normal for now. Be well, and be safe.
pigpen51
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