With the focus on COVID-19, and the currently over 220,000 deaths, it’s easy to get lost in what is happening around us. Death is something that gets people worked up, especially when we feel it is unnecessary, could be prevented, or that someone died before their time. Birth and Death are two things that every human being on this planet have in common. No matter what our differences, where we live, how rich or how poor, our ethnicity, our social status, religion, sexual orientation, or gender — we are all born and we all will die. When we talk about death, it is almost natural for emotion to rule the conversation. But sometimes it is important to develop a perspective, to look at reality, and to recognize the facts.
According to the Population Reference Bureau (PBR), the United States, average annual death rates climbed by 400,000 between 2009 and 2018; from 2.4 million to 2.8 million. Factors could include aging population or growing underlying health issues such as heart disease, cancer, or other illness. The three top causes of death in 2018 were heart disease, cancer, and accidents.
The Center for Disease Control list 2017 total deaths at 2,813,503 with a death rate of 863.8 per 100,000.
CDC: Deaths and Mortality 2017
Data are for the U.S.
- Number of deaths: 2,813,503
- Death rate: 863.8 deaths per 100,000 population
- Life expectancy: 78.6 years
- Infant Mortality rate: 5.79 deaths per 1,000 live births
Source: Deaths: Final Data for 2017, tables 1, 3, 13 pdf icon[PDF – 2 MB]
In that year, the top three cause of death were once again heart disease, cancer, and accidents. Two of those causes remained at the top for the first six months of 2020 as well.
Number of deaths for leading causes of death:
- Heart disease: 647,457
- Cancer: 599,108
- Accidents (unintentional injuries): 169,936
- Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 160,201
- Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 146,383
- Alzheimer’s disease: 121,404
- Diabetes: 83,564
- Influenza and Pneumonia: 55,672
- Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis: 50,633
- Intentional self-harm (suicide): 47,173
These are the number of deaths by top categories between February and the end of June 2020. Heart disease and cancer were still the leading causes of death at that time. With the way in which death rate types have been listed in the age of COVID-19, it will be interesting to see how those records will be changed. The use of the COVID-19 classification of death where there were underlying complications (cancer, end-stage COPD, heart disease) future research may suffer from the lack of data on such causes.
Source: Deaths: Final Data for 2017, table B pdf icon[PDF – 2 MB]
In this Era of COVID, it is important to see the whole picture. Emotions are high. There are those who are so frightened of this illness, they are literally panicked. Panic cause people to strike out, and clouds judgement. Stepping back, getting a perspective, and then doing what you personally need to do to protect yourself from the illness is a significantly better way to address something like this virus, something you feel powerless against.
These are the stats for Pneumonia, Influenza, and COVID -19 (PIC) thru October 3, 2020, although the CDC admits not all data is accounted for at the time of publishing.
These are the stats for US historical death rates for the past seventy years. Interestingly we’ve been on a rise in US death rates since 2008 and we had a significant change in the growth rate percentage in 2004, but as you can see we are almost a full percentage lower in actual death rate as compared to 1950.
| United States – Historical Death Rate Data | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Death Rate | Growth Rate |
| 2020 | 8.880 | 1.120% |
| 2019 | 8.782 | 1.120% |
| 2018 | 8.685 | 1.220% |
| 2017 | 8.580 | 1.240% |
| 2016 | 8.475 | 1.270% |
| 2015 | 8.369 | 1.270% |
| 2014 | 8.264 | 1.290% |
| 2013 | 8.159 | 0.090% |
| 2012 | 8.152 | 0.090% |
| 2011 | 8.145 | 0.090% |
| 2010 | 8.138 | 0.090% |
| 2009 | 8.131 | 0.090% |
| 2008 | 8.124 | -0.960% |
| 2007 | 8.203 | -0.950% |
| 2006 | 8.282 | -0.960% |
| 2005 | 8.362 | -0.940% |
| 2004 | 8.441 | -0.930% |
| 2003 | 8.520 | -0.330% |
| 2002 | 8.548 | -0.330% |
| 2001 | 8.576 | -0.310% |
| 2000 | 8.603 | -0.320% |
| 1999 | 8.631 | -0.320% |
| 1998 | 8.659 | -0.370% |
| 1997 | 8.691 | -0.360% |
| 1996 | 8.722 | -0.370% |
| 1995 | 8.754 | -0.350% |
| 1994 | 8.785 | -0.360% |
| 1993 | 8.817 | -0.310% |
| 1992 | 8.844 | -0.300% |
| 1991 | 8.871 | -0.300% |
| 1990 | 8.898 | -0.300% |
| 1989 | 8.925 | -0.300% |
| 1988 | 8.952 | 0.280% |
| 1987 | 8.927 | 0.270% |
| 1986 | 8.903 | 0.280% |
| 1985 | 8.878 | 0.270% |
| 1984 | 8.854 | 0.280% |
| 1983 | 8.829 | -0.050% |
| 1982 | 8.833 | -0.050% |
| 1981 | 8.837 | -0.050% |
| 1980 | 8.841 | -0.050% |
| 1979 | 8.845 | -0.050% |
| 1978 | 8.849 | -1.230% |
| 1977 | 8.959 | -1.210% |
| 1976 | 9.069 | -1.190% |
| 1975 | 9.178 | -1.180% |
| 1974 | 9.288 | -1.170% |
| 1973 | 9.398 | -0.410% |
| 1972 | 9.437 | -0.410% |
| 1971 | 9.476 | -0.420% |
| 1970 | 9.516 | -0.410% |
| 1969 | 9.555 | -0.410% |
| 1968 | 9.594 | 0.310% |
| 1967 | 9.564 | 0.310% |
| 1966 | 9.534 | 0.330% |
| 1965 | 9.503 | 0.320% |
| 1964 | 9.473 | 0.320% |
| 1963 | 9.443 | 0.070% |
| 1962 | 9.436 | 0.070% |
| 1961 | 9.429 | 0.060% |
| 1960 | 9.423 | 0.070% |
| 1959 | 9.416 | 0.070% |
| 1958 | 9.409 | -0.320% |
| 1957 | 9.439 | -0.320% |
| 1956 | 9.469 | -0.320% |
| 1955 | 9.499 | -0.310% |
| 1954 | 9.529 | -0.310% |
| 1953 | 9.559 | -0.310% |
| 1952 | 9.589 | -0.310% |
| 1951 | 9.619 | -0.310% |
| 1950 | 9.649 | 0.000% |
If you were to listen to media hype, you might believe the United States situation was the worst in the world, that our overall response to COVID-19 cause us to sustain significantly more damage that our world neighbors, and that the COVID Gloom has hung particularly heavy over the US of A. Again, perspective makes a huge difference. All deaths are tragic, but in relation to population, the impact of COVID-19 on the US is significantly lower than many countries – below France, German, UK, Italy, and Spain. Many of these countries are currently facing significant surges in the illness. And who really believes the data from China where we were blocked from any information from the beginning? Remember, we were told this could have killed over two million people in the US alone.
No one is saying that Covid-19 hasn’t been devastating to individuals, families, and the country as a whole. For those who have lost loved ones, it is particularly tragic, but I can tell you, when I lost my father from a heart attack, it was tragic for me. Beyond the emotions, the mortality rate of COVID -19 in the US remains low. Even if the morbidity rate of COVID-19 rises above that of the annual influenza, there is a perspective from which we need to view those numbers.
We must keep in mind that there has been protection from the influenza since 1945 when mass vaccinations began. In 2018 it was estimated that of the ages 50-64 year old 46.8% took annual flu shots, and of the age group 65 and older 68.7% received vaccinations. This is significant when comparing to COVID-19 where there is still no vaccination available. And if those vulnerable populations were not vaccinated, how high would the influenza death rate actually be? We are talking about the very people who have been most impacted by COVID-19 – the elderly, the immune deficient, those with asthma, COPD, cancer, and heart disease.
The answer to the COVID crisis isn’t closing our society. It isn’t even masking our society (which is another discussion altogether). It is protecting the most vulnerable, respecting those who feel they need the protection of a mask, using good personal hygiene, working to develop a vaccine for those who need and want one, and reigniting our economy so that we aren’t in danger of collapse. A society which is not functioning will die, whether from COVID-19 or not. The cost of fighting this illness, is significant. We can’t pay for it without a working society. If you are looking for something to fear, fear the economic collapse of a country which has over 300 million citizens. In such an instant, COVID won’t matter at all.
One thing is certain, you won’t get out of this world without walking through death’s door. Certainly you’d like to live in a free, productive, and economically stable society until you find yourself facing that moment.
