4 ms·
You're comparing to different measurements. The ~2.0% figure for Covid-19 is the case fatality rate. Case fatality rate is number of deaths over number of peopl
by jnbiche 7y ago
You're comparing to different measurements. The ~2.0% figure for Covid-19 is the case fatality rate. Case fatality rate is number of deaths over number of people infected. Mortality rate is deaths over people at risk. A case fatality rate will always be higher (or equal, if everyone in an at risk population gets sick) than the mortality rate for same disease, often considerately higher depending on the disease's infection rate.
- macawfish 7y agoSure, fair point. We don't know if this will spread to the entire population, nor do we know much about the rate it would do so, or if people can develop long term immunity, etc. But my point wasn't to accurately model mortality, it was to get a feel for what it might be like to lose 2% of people over the course of a year. What might it be like socially, psychologically, spiritually? Most people see "2%" and have no inclination to think "1 in 50". I think it's useful to do this. That's why I set up the simplified scenario of "100% of of the US getting infected over one year".