In the tradition of ‘IN GOD, WE TRUST’, OTHERS MUST COME WITH DATA, I am sharing some data about total deaths in USA, without any comments, suggestions, judgements or opinion, and purely for information and educational purposes, as follows:
As per World Health Organization (WHO) Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Situation Report 120, at the time of writing, of May 19, 2020, the incidence of COVID-19 deaths, as a Crude Death Rate, that is Total Deaths to Total Confirmed Cases, has been around 6.6% for the World; and 6% for USA.
The Total Deaths during pandemic months (March – April 2020) and comparable months during 2017-2019, in USA, as per Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) information and publications, have been as follows:
| Total Deaths | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | COVID-19 (2020) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | 252,000 | 316,000 | 253,000 | 263,000 | 7960 |
| April | 232,000 | 298,000 | Not Available | 271,000 | 49062 |
| Annual Average (Approx.) | 2,800,000 | 2,800,000 | 2,800,000 | 2,800,000 | Not Applicable |
A study by CDC in 2017 had noted 15 leading causes of deaths in 2017, as follows:
- Diseases of heart (heart disease)
- Malignant neoplasms (cancer)
- Accidents (unintentional injuries)
- Chronic lower respiratory diseases
- Cerebrovascular diseases (stroke)
- Alzheimer disease
- Diabetes mellitus (diabetes)
- Influenza and pneumonia
- Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis (kidney disease)
- Intentional self-harm (suicide)
- Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis
- Septicemia
- Essential hypertension and hypertensive renal disease (hypertension)
- Parkinson disease
- Pneumonitis due to solids and liquids.
The CDC study in 2017 had listed up and reported deaths in USA by 113 different causes.
The CDC 2017 study also highlighted that there has been a ‘seasonality’ in total deaths in USA. Months of November- April experienced more daily average deaths than the months of May- October. Please see graph below:
Source: QuickStats: Average Daily Number of Deaths, by Month — United States, 2017. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2019;68:593. DOI:
The United Nations- World Population Prospects provided historical data about the total deaths rate (per 100,000 people), in USA, during 1950-2019, and projections of total death rate (per 100,000 people) in USA, over 2020- 2100, as shown in the graph below:
Current = 2020
Data Source: United Nations – World Population Prospects
NOTE: All data from 2020 and beyond are UN projections and DO NOT include any impacts of the COVID-19 virus.
Stay safe, healthy, calm. If you wanted to know, how, you may please read my other post, ‘Stay safe, healthy and calm, but how?’
Dr. Sat Parashar, PhD is a Professor and Financial Advisor. He may be reached at sparashar@financialguide.com
