Number of deaths involving COVID-19, pneumonia, and influenza in the U.S. as of August 23, 2020 from the CDC.
Pneumonia, Flu, or Covid: 887,670
COVID-19: 621,216
Pneumonia: 565,373
Pneumonia and COVID: 307,026
Flu: 9,406
Covid deaths are reported as both confirmed and presumed. Meaning it is very possible that many Flu and Pneumonia deaths are reported as presumed Covid deaths making the death rate of 1.6% higher than reality. If you remove pneumonia from the picture there are only 56,000 Covid only deaths.
Public health and clinical laboratories reported 2,038 flu cases during the 2020-2021 season according to the CDC. The agency estimated about 38 million people were sick with the flu during the 2019-2020 season. In a normal year the percentage maxes out somewhere between 5% to 7% during peak flu season. In the 2020-2021 season the % was basically 0. Deaths from the flu in the 2020-2021 was 750. Deaths from the flu in the 2019-2020 season was 22,000 and in 2018-2019 was 34,000. Deaths from the flu in the 2018-2017 was 61,000.
Pediatric influenza deaths are an even more reliable source of information. Relatively few deaths are reported in any given year, typically from 100-200. During the 2020-2021 season, however, there was only one death, meaning that flu circulation among children had dropped to about one half of one percent of its usual level.
I'm not saying Covid is fake or that people shouldn't take the vaccine. The vaccine can and will reduce the risk of getting Covid and dying from it. Covid is connected to the Flu and Pneumonia. Most people who die are older and usually have 2 to 3 other health issues. And I think it is possible that many Covid deaths are actually just Flu/Pneumonia. The CDC has made this issue political and the numbers don't add up.
