Johns Hopkins Article Shows No Real Change in Historic Death Numbers Due to Covid

[LWC]

This is an article from the Johns Hopkins Newsletter that was written using the CDC's numbers by the Assistant Director for the Master's in Applied Economics program at Hopkins. It was quickly retracted and they tried to put it down the memory hole, so it isn't easy to find. The article was retracted for reasons of which it "has been used to support the dangerous inaccuracies that minimize the impact of the pandemic."

https://web.archive.org/web/20201126163323/https://www.jhunewsletter.com/article/2020/11/a-closer-look-at-u-s-deaths-due-to-covid-19

Surprisingly, the deaths of older people stayed the same before and after COVID-19. Since COVID-19 mainly affects the elderly, experts expected an increase in the percentage of deaths in older age groups. However, this increase is not seen from the CDC data. In fact, the percentages of deaths among all age groups remain relatively the same.

“The reason we have a higher number of reported COVID-19 deaths among older individuals than younger individuals is simply because every day in the U.S. older individuals die in higher numbers than younger individuals,” Briand said.

Briand also noted that 50,000 to 70,000 deaths are seen both before and after COVID-19, indicating that this number of deaths was normal long before COVID-19 emerged. Therefore, according to Briand, not only has COVID-19 had no effect on the percentage of deaths of older people, but it has also not increased the total number of deaths.

These data analyses suggest that in contrast to most people’s assumptions, the number of deaths by COVID-19 is not alarming. In fact, it has relatively no effect on deaths in the United States.

[LWC]

Analysis of deaths per cause in 2018 revealed that the pattern of seasonal increase in the total number of deaths is a result of the rise in deaths by all causes, with the top three being heart disease, respiratory diseases, influenza and pneumonia.

“This is true every year. Every year in the U.S. when we observe the seasonal ups and downs, we have an increase of deaths due to all causes,” Briand pointed out.

When Briand looked at the 2020 data during that seasonal period, COVID-19-related deaths exceeded deaths from heart diseases. This was highly unusual since heart disease has always prevailed as the leading cause of deaths. However, when taking a closer look at the death numbers, she noted something strange. As Briand compared the number of deaths per cause during that period in 2020 to 2018, she noticed that instead of the expected drastic increase across all causes, there was a significant decrease in deaths due to heart disease. Even more surprising, as seen in the graph below, this sudden decline in deaths is observed for all other causes.


COURTESY OF GENEVIEVE BRIAND

Graph depicts the number of deaths per cause during that period in 2020 to 2018.

This trend is completely contrary to the pattern observed in all previous years. Interestingly, as depicted in the table below, the total decrease in deaths by other causes almost exactly equals the increase in deaths by COVID-19. This suggests, according to Briand, that the COVID-19 death toll is misleading. Briand believes that deaths due to heart diseases, respiratory diseases, influenza and pneumonia may instead be recategorized as being due to COVID-19.


COURTESY OF GENEVIEVE BRIAND

Graph depicts the total decrease in deaths by various causes, including COVID-19.

The CDC classified all deaths that are related to COVID-19 simply as COVID-19 deaths. Even patients dying from other underlying diseases but are infected with COVID-19 count as COVID-19 deaths. This is likely the main explanation as to why COVID-19 deaths drastically increased while deaths by all other diseases experienced a significant decrease.

[flywise]

I’ve heard of that info. Funny, they said it killed a whole lot of folks

[c3products20]

Imagine that! The data is completely contrary to the narrative!!

[imyomama]

hum $14k for a hospital to put covid on a death certificate ... i can't imagine how anybody could die of anything else. but I have 14000 ideas.

[RiverRat1]

hum $14k for a hospital to put covid on a death certificate ... i can't imagine how anybody could die of anything else. but I have 14000 ideas.

Since the beginning of this BS lots of people saw this coming.

You literally give anyone free reign with written zero ways they can get in trouble for lying... And then bribe, I mean "offer" them money for each "case" that you again, in writing, tell them doesn't have to be proven.. Did anyone possibly see any other outcome?

[LWC]

More from the article:

“All of this points to no evidence that COVID-19 created any excess deaths. Total death numbers are not above normal death numbers. We found no evidence to the contrary,” Briand concluded.

In an interview with The News-Letter, Briand addressed the question of whether COVID-19 deaths can be called misleading since the infection might have exacerbated and even led to deaths by other underlying diseases.

“If [the COVID-19 death toll] was not misleading at all, what we should have observed is an increased number of heart attacks and increased COVID-19 numbers. But a decreased number of heart attacks and all the other death causes doesn’t give us a choice but to point to some misclassification,” Briand replied.

In other words, the effect of COVID-19 on deaths in the U.S. is considered problematic only when it increases the total number of deaths or the true death burden by a significant amount in addition to the expected deaths by other causes. Since the crude number of total deaths by all causes before and after COVID-19 has stayed the same, one can hardly say, in Briand’s view, that COVID-19 deaths are concerning.

Briand also mentioned that more research and data are needed to truly decipher the effect of COVID-19 on deaths in the United States.

Throughout the talk, Briand constantly emphasized that although COVID-19 is a serious national and global problem, she also stressed that society should never lose focus of the bigger picture — death in general.

The death of a loved one, from COVID-19 or from other causes, is always tragic, Briand explained. Each life is equally important and we should be reminded that even during a global pandemic we should not forget about the tragic loss of lives from other causes.

According to Briand, the over-exaggeration of the COVID-19 death number may be due to the constant emphasis on COVID-19-related deaths and the habitual overlooking of deaths by other natural causes in society.

During an interview with The News-Letter after the event, Poorna Dharmasena, a master’s candidate in Applied Economics, expressed his opinion about Briand’s concluding remarks.

“At the end of the day, it’s still a deadly virus. And over-exaggeration or not, to a certain degree, is irrelevant,” Dharmasena said.

When asked whether the public should be informed about this exaggeration in death numbers, Dharmasena stated that people have a right to know the truth. However, COVID-19 should still continuously be treated as a deadly disease to safeguard the vulnerable population.

[Shane]

When asked whether the public should be informed about this exaggeration in death numbers, Dharmasena stated that people have a right to know the truth. However, COVID-19 should still continuously be treated as a deadly disease to safeguard the vulnerable population.[/I]

Anytime somebody says, "People have the right to know the truth. However....." They're liars and just trying to rationalize a way to justify continued lying.

I said it last March, and it's still true. The reaction and response to COVID-19 is the stupidest thing our nation has ever purposefully done to itself. It's incredibly embarrassing.

[etbowhunter]

More from the article:

“At the end of the day, it’s still a deadly virus. And over-exaggeration or not, to a certain degree, is irrelevant,” Dharmasena said.
[/I]

Well that should make anyone that lost their lively hood, is dealing with the loss of a loved one due to inaccessible treatment, or had a loved one in a nursing home that has been sitting in solitary confinement for the last 15 months feel A LOT better.

[OldRiverRat]

I feel smarter every day reading the FACTS that are coming out


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[rtp]

Im waiting on the resident Liberals to tell us this doesnt mean what we think it means. Given that is probably the best defense they have they will most likely ignore it as they do most facts that dont support their crazy *** beliefs.

[Dale Moser]

It is the most ridiculously obvious conclusion there is, unless you just don’t want to believe it.

It’s still true though.


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[JayB]

Am I the only one that automatically discounts anyone that calls Covid 19 a disease instead of a virus?

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[manwitaplan]

hum $14k for a hospital to put covid on a death certificate ... i can't imagine how anybody could die of anything else. but I have 14000 ideas.

Funny you say that. Was talking to a family friend and her hospital just purchased all new beds at the tune of about 100,000 per bed. Yep needed those new beds. But I thought hospitals were profitable off of elected surgeries. Wait we did not have elective surgeries last year. Once again COVID to the rescue.


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[LWC]

Interesting article on the censorship of Dr. Briand and all things Covid. Well, all things tha don't fit the media narrative.

https://www.aier.org/article/the-censorship-of-dr-briand/

The Censorship of Dr. Briand