If you see a RW post claiming the death rate in the US has stayed the same this year, reply w/ this

[Clash City Rocker]

Basically, people are claiming that Covid can’t be real because the death rate is about the same as, or even lower than, last year. It’s a specious argument, for reasons explained in the article.

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/dec/11/facebook-posts/chart-comparing-2020-us-death-toll-previous-years-/

One thing I don’t think they mention is that some types of death are probably down because of the isolation. For example, I’m sure there have been fewer car fatalities, fewer school shootings, and fewer deaths from viruses other than Covid, because Americans have stayed home more. Simple raw death numbers don’t mean much this year.

Otherwise, I think this does a good job of demonstrating that the comparison is fraudulent. Most damning to their argument is the information from the CDC.

[dawg day]

1. Do they mean all those people who died are still alive?

The ones they know, the famous ones?

Of course they know better, but everything has to be sacrificed to say that Trump isn't actually a destroyer.

[Clash City Rocker]

4. Usually the claim goes something like this

“If a guy gets hit by a car, them doctors will claim that he died of Covid because they want to make Trump look bad.”

[dawg day]

9. "All those doctors and nurses and respiratory therapists are just lying!"

They must think everyone but Trump is lying.

So weird-- when they know he lies every time he opens his mouth.

[ThoughtCriminal]

2. One thing that IS the same

Conservatives are REALLY bad at math - which also explains "Supply Side" economics.

[Clash City Rocker]

3. Bad at math, bad at science

Anything they write tends to be poorly spelled, so bad at English.

[treestar]

5. Like the claim only 1% die from it

As if that isn't a lot of people and we could just shrug our shoulders at it.

[LiberalArkie]

6. And the seasonal flu in Arkansas is at or below the baseline as of last week.

We may not even have a real flu season due to the Covid precautions

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

7. Actually, we're probably not going to have a real flu season

because travel to and from China simply isn't happening, which is where influenza almost always comes from.

The southern hemisphere had no flu season this past winter for that very reason.

[LiberalArkie]

8. I do not think we will either.. We have had 1 65+ death and 31 cases so far.

[Clash City Rocker]

10. And I assume more people are getting the flu shot this year

Or at least they should, because you do not want to have the flu and Covid at the same time.

[LiberalArkie]

11. I did and about 50% of the people I converse with in my community said they did.

The geriatric dose was not for the faint of heart.


Probably the same people get the flu as always. I think it is really all the covid precautions