The Tragedy of Avoidable Covid Deaths
Comprehensive new data show just how many Americans died after vaccines became widely available — mostly in less-vaccinated states.
A grim memorial.
Photographer: Win McNamee/Getty ImagesWhose pandemic strategy really saved lives? Which states or countries lost the most people to the virus? Or to the unintended consequences of mitigation efforts? Now there’s finally some clear, objective data emerging from the fog.
The most telling statistic turns out to be the simplest: all-cause mortality. Tallies of who died, when and where can be used to calculate “excess mortality” — how many more people died in a given place and time period than would be expected. By contrast, official Covid-19 death statistics are clouded by differences in testing and a level of subjectivity doctors say is required to give a cause of death for people who had multiple health problems.