Morgues around the world are piling up, struggling to keep up with the overwhelming surge of COVID-19 victims. At the same time, the vast majority of frontline health care workers across political parties are feeling an extreme burnout with no end in sight.

The paradoxical response of almost half the US population as well as globally suggests lockdowns and masks are an over reaction at best. These statements come with a single statistic in tow, proudly backed by the CDC: “COVID-19 has only a 1% mortality rate”

Beyond mortality

By stating these figures not as a “mortality” but a “survival rate“ it is certainly easier to stomach. However, “survival” is misleading.

This is primarily in its suggestion the only bad thing that could happen to a COVID victim is death—that anyone now hospitalized for COVID symptoms is as good as an uninfected working from home. We have to understand what “not a fatality” really means.

“Not a fatality” can mean the patient suffered a stroke due to damage to the lining of blood vessels.

“Not a fatality” can mean serious but not immediately lethal cardiac injury.

“Not a fatality” can mean dysfunction of the liver, kidneys, or lungs.

One can permanently lose the enjoyment of any food or drink due to a loss of taste and smell that sometimes never returns.

COVID-19 (coronavirus): Long-term effects
Learn about the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the lungs, brain and nervous system.
Mayo Clinic

It’s not 1% for everyone

According to the CDC where this >1% figure is proudly sourced, there is more to the story. Much more.

Anyone above just 30 years of age will double the chance of hospitalization and quadruple their chances of death, according to the CDC, compared to a similar individual between 18-29 years old. This rate of death increases to 10x in 40+, 30x in 50+, a whopping 90x in 65+, 220x in 75+ and 650x in 85+.

Simply put, no matter what age group you are in, if you carry the virus for every 200 people above 50 years old you give it to will take away one life. For anyone older than 70, you need only expose 18 of them.

Source: CDC

You may not think you know 200 people in your close circle who are older than 50 years but consider that you could indirectly infect such a person by directly infecting someone who is younger.

COVID-19 is Deadlier than the Flu

The CDC has closed the argument following these figures that at the end of the day, COVID-19 might as well be the flu. In fact, it is deadlier.

“The death rate was significantly higher in the COVID-19 group, where 21% of patients died compared to only 3.8% for the influenza group. That’s a five times increase for coronavirus mortality compared to the flu. Moreover, hospitalization duration was almost three times longer for COVID-19 (average of 8.6 days) compared to the flu (average of 3 days).” — BGR