I can't be certain, but I think they were implying that aggregate deaths spiked more than you would expect. Look at data here: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/v

I can't be certain, but I think they were implying that aggregate deaths spiked more than you would expect. Look at data here: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid19/excess_deaths.htm https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid19/excess_deaths.htm These numbers show that the number of deaths observed is beyond the sum of reported covid deaths + expected deaths from all other sources. Which indicates either that many covid deaths were misclassified as something else, or that the strain on the health system caused by covid resulted in significantly more deaths. If deaths were misclassified, it is certainly possible that some percentage of people in their 40s or 50s died of Covid, with cause of death listed as something else.