OPINION:
Remember how a sharp rise in global temperatures was compared to a “hockey stick” back in 2006? Turns out it was a gross exaggeration. Likewise, the global COVID-19 death rate has been greatly exaggerated, as revealed in a recent World Health Organization report. Crises often invite exaggerations. This report reveals a 0.023% mortality rate, lower than the initially estimated rate of 3.4%, which would be approximately 265 million deaths. A 0.23% death rate is about 18 million people.
The latest data was gathered from 61 studies across 51 locations showing true infection fatality rates. Study author John Ioannidis noted that “[T]he median infection fatality rate might be even substantially lower than the 0.23% observed in my analysis.” As of Oct. 16, 2020, global deaths stood at 1.1 million, which is 0.014% of the global population (7.8 billion).
Big numbers without their corresponding ratios can be deceiving.
JIM BLACK
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
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