The coronavirus pandemic has caused unimaginable damage and destruction in the United States. It has destroyed thousands of lives, has placed the economy in near-recession territory, and has led to an increase in social problems such as drug and alcohol abuse.

For a variety of reasons, certain communities such as New York have been hit harder than other areas of the country. We are learning more about the virus every day, yet an effective vaccine is still months away. We do know that older individuals and those people with pre-existing medical conditions are much more susceptible to the ravages of the coronavirus.

After seven months of dealing with the virus, it may be time to look at the numbers and see where we as a country stand. The following are the numbers from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Coronavirus Update (here) and from the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Dashboard (here) from August 17, 2020.

Total Number of People Tested – 70,155,956

Total Number of Positive Cases – 6,281,615 (8.9% of those tested)

Total Number of Deaths – 170,564

(Total U.S. Population – 331,000,000)

Using these numbers, the calculated death rates are as follows:

Death Rate as a Percent of Positive Tests – 2.7%

Death Rate as a Percent of Total Tests – 0.24%

Death Rate as a Percent of Total U.S. Population – 0.05%

While the pandemic has been devastating, in 2019 606,880 Americans died of cancer. (here) In 2018, the last year of complete data, 836,546 Americans died of heart attacks or strokes. (here) These numbers are revealing, however the critical difference is that a virus is spread by human to human transmission. Cancer and heart attacks are not.

Media headlines would suggest that the country and certain communities are doing a terrible job of controlling the pandemic. The latest numbers put the sensationalism in a bit of perspective.