The article linked above provides a visual and numerical rack-up of various plagues and pandemics down through history, based on numbers of human deaths. The comparison reflects Covid-19 death tolls as of March 1 (almost three weeks ago), but the numbers for Covid-19 as well as some of the other pandemics are only estimates. Hopefully good estimates, but still just estimates, since we don’t always have good information for analysis. Death numbers for Covid-19, for example, are still changing as the CDC and other agencies try to sort out how many people died “of Covid” versus how many died “with Covid.” A few days ago the CDC reduced US child mortality figures by almost 25%, and the changes will continue. Our scientists and doctors do the best they can in spite of the media spotlight and political pressures, and they are still working towards a better understanding of Covid-19 impacts.
A Cup of Brouhaha 