National Center for Disaster Preparedness Report Says 130,000-210,000 US COVID-19 Deaths Were Avoidable

Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness released a report arguing that 130,000-210,000 COVID-19 deaths in the United States were avoidable had the national and state governments responded tot he pandemic appropriately.

When comparing U.S. fatalities with other high-income countries, the contrast becomes particularly stark. Beyond the total deaths of U.S. citizens – which officially stands at 217,717 but is likely much higher7 – one informative way to compare total fatalities is using the proportional measure of the number of deaths per 100,000 people.

The United States currently has the 9th highest proportional mortality rate globally, with some 66 deaths
per 100,000 population. It is behind only Peru, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, Spain, and Mexico in this statistic.

. . .

By failing to implement the type of response strategies employed in the six comparison countries, our analysis shows that the United States may have incurred at least 130,000 avoidable deaths. . . . if the U.S. had followed Canadian policies and protocols, there might have only been 85,192 U.S. deaths – making more than 132,500 American deaths “avoidable.” If the U.S. response had mirrored that of Germany, the U.S. may have only had 38,457 deaths – leaving 179,260 avoidable deaths. And in the unique case of South Korea — which had one of the quickest and most robust intervention strategies – the U.S. might have seen just 2,799 deaths, leaving nearly 215,000 deaths avoidable.

The Bombing of Tokyo, March 10, 1945

Seventy-five years ago, the United States Army Air Forces launched the single deadliest air raid of World War II when 279 B-29s dropped 1,510 tons of bombs on Tokyo over a period of almost three hours.

According to Wikipedia,

Estimates of the number of people killed in the bombing of Tokyo on March 10 differ. After the raid, 79,466 bodies were recovered and recorded. Many other bodies were not recovered, and the city’s director of health estimated that 83,600 people were killed and another 40,918 wounded. The Tokyo fire department put the casualties at 97,000 killed and 125,000 wounded, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department believed that 124,711 people had been killed or wounded. After the war, the United States Strategic Bombing Survey estimated the casualties as 87,793 killed and 40,918 injured. The survey also stated that the majority of the casualties were women, children and elderly people. Frank wrote in 1999 that historians generally believe that there were between 90,000 and 100,000 fatalities, but some argue that the number was much higher. For instance, Edwin P. Hoyt stated in 1987 that 200,000 people had been killed and in 2009 Mark Selden wrote that the number of deaths may have been several times the estimate of 100,000 used by the Japanese and United States Governments The large population movements out of and into Tokyo in the period before the raid, deaths of entire communities and destruction of records mean that it is not possible to know exactly how many died.

UNICEF Highlights Global Increase In Measles Cases

From a March 1, 2019 press release,


NEW YORK, 1 March 2019 — UNICEF warned today that global cases of measles are surging to alarmingly high levels, led by ten countries accounting for more than 74 per cent of the total increase, and several others that had previously been declared measles free.

Globally, 98 countries reported more cases of measles in 2018 compared to 2017, eroding progress against this highly preventable, but potentially deadly disease.

Ukraine, the Philippines and Brazil saw the largest increases in measles cases from 2017 to 2018. In Ukraine alone, there were 35,120 cases of measles in 2018. According to the government, another 24,042 people were infected just in the first two months of 2019. In the Philippines so far this year, there have been 12,736 measles cases and 203 deaths, compared to 15,599 cases in the whole of 2018.

. . .


Poor health infrastructure, civil strife, low community awareness, complacency and vaccine hesitancy in some cases have led to these outbreaks in both developed and developing countries. For example, in the United States, the number of measles cases increased six-fold between 2017 and 2018, reaching 791 cases. More recently, the U.S. has seen outbreaks in New York and Washington state.

“Almost all of these cases are preventable, and yet children are getting infected even in places where there is simply no excuse,” said Fore. “Measles may be the disease, but, all too often, the real infection is misinformation, mistrust and complacency. We must do more to accurately inform every parent, to help us safely vaccinate every child.”

Firearms Commerce in the United States–Annual Statistical Update Reports

Each year the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives issues a report on gun commerce in the United States. This includes statistical information on the number of guns manufactured, imported, export, tax revenue raised, transfers, etc. I’ve mirrored the reports from 2011 through 2017 below because I don’t want to have to run down this information later.

Firearms Commerce in the United States – Annual Statistical Update 2017

Firearms Commerce in the United States – Annual Statistical Update 2016

Firearms Commerce in the United States – Annual Statistical Update 2015

Firearms Commerce in the United States – Annual Statistical Update 2014

Firearms Commerce in the United States – Annual Statistical Update 2013

Firearms Commerce in the United States – Annual Statistical Update 2012

Firearms Commerce in the United States – Annual Statistical Update 2011

Firearms Commerce in the United States – Annual Statistical Update 2001-2002

Firearms Commerce in the United States – Annual Statistical Update 2000