17,000 flu linked deaths in 2019 in Australia: covid deaths far fewer this year
I’ve tried to avoid posting about COVID, as it feels like everything is a provocative opinion piece, but today’s AFR article by John Kehoe provides some numerical fact-based perspective on mortality rates that I believe is pertinent to every Australian…
Put simply, if we counted deaths from flu and pneumonia using the same statistical approach the government has been using to track COVID-19 deaths in Australia, 17,385 Australians died in 2019 alone from these things – which equates to ~1,429 per month or ~48 per day.
This tally includes five infants aged under one, 13 children aged one to 14, and 48 people aged 25-44 based on data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
So next time a politician “descends into rank populism and fear-mongering about COVID-19 deaths” – as John says – consider these irrefutable statistics when deciding whether or not you agree with their decisions and the justifications behind them.
Increasingly I see little value in arguing with people over different facets of lockdowns and vaccinations, but I’m always keen to consider irrefutable statistics…