Not the one with whom you are arguing... but... you might need to be slower to throw stones, Knehrke.
Original case fatality rate estimates back in the March - April time frame ran the gamut between 3% to 6%... BUT... what these rates did not factor in were the tremendously high number of asymptomatic cases among the young and relatively healthy.
There actually are numerous peer-reviewed studies now pointing to infectious fatality rates of approximately 0.2% to 0.3%. These studies have come from multiple countries / locations where instead of merely calculating infectious death rates based on CASES reported, much more widespread testing was done with the result of identifying extremely high numbers of people who had contracted coronavirus without even realizing they had it / without suffering ANY noticeable ill effects.
One such location is Iceland where between 40% to 50% of those found to have antibodies in widespread testing (whether sick or not) were found to have been asymptomatic after contracting COVID 19.
To put the 0.3% infectious fatality rate into perspective, annual influenza infection fatality rates average around 0.1%, so overall covid appears to be 2 to 3 times as deadly as the typical flu versus original estimates of being 30 to 60 times more deadly. Worth noting, multiple studies now show covid is actually LESS lethal than standard flu strains to those between the age of 0 and 50. To the contrary, however, the fatality rates are higher and grow statistically much more significantly higher with the combination of advanced age and additional comorbidities.
If you wish, Knehrke, I'll share links to these updated study numbers -- most have been released within the past two months, so anyone reading / pointing to aged data between March and the summer months are speaking to extremely flawed data biased by severe cases that did NOT include calculations for those asymptomatic and / or with very mild cases.
Now for some local data from my area both on a micro-level (admittedly anecdotal) and with a bit more statistical significance. First, the smaller scale personal note -- within our small medical practice 6 of 16 employees have had covid. 3 of the 6 cases the employees never ran fevers or had any symptoms beyond briefly losing their sense of taste -- that was their ONLY symptom. 2 of the employees had symptoms I would classify the equivalent of a mild cold. Finally, the 6th employee only had a severe headache -- that was her ONLY symptom. If not for awareness of covid, had it been a prior year I can tell you with relative confidence that these employees all would have opted to continue working except the one with the day-long severe headache (while her only symptom, she said it was the worst headache she could remember). I should stress that the age of these employees was relatively young -- between early 20s and early 40s.
Now for more statistically significant data -- I live just outside Leon County / Florida's capital city of Tallahassee. In a county with a population of 300,000 there have been 171 deaths out of 17,800 confirmed cases with the emphasis that unlike Iceland our area has NOT pushed for testing of ALL our citizens / those asymptomatic, but instead have strongly steered limited testing capacity to those actually having symptoms. If I'm doing my math right, that's a known case fatality rate of a single percent, so NOT a big stretch to believe that with the inclusion of all those who have been asymptomatic and uncounted that our rate would ABSOLUTELY fall well under 1 percent / at most likely be half a percent.
And not trying to be anti-science nor anti-vax with that data share, but do I believe it worth crippling an economy for a supposed scary pandemic that's only managed to kill 1 in 1,000 for my area over the course of nearly an entire year, with half the deaths among those very old and / or already sick -- ABSOLUTELY not. And does it also make me question the validity of pushing vaccines on those who already have antibodies / those who are young and face less risk of the disease than from the flu / etc --- ABSOLUTELY so. Finally, do I find it extremely reasonable that those who are over the age of 50 to 60 and especially those with serious comorbidities to opt (of their own choosing) to receive vaccination -- ABSOLUTELY so.
Believe I'm sharing flawed data, can't back it up with up-to-date scientific journals just let me know.
