The number of deaths from COVID-19 are reported daily by Guilford County, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
However, people die from all kinds of causes that are not subject to daily press releases. The organizations report deaths differently and over different time periods, but with so much concern about death from one disease, it seems worthwhile to make some comparisons with deaths from other diseases, even though the time periods don’t exactly match.
On Monday, April 20, North Carolina had had a total of 179 deaths attributed to COVID-19 since March 25, when the first death was reported, which is a little less than a month.
According to reports from the CDC, in 2017, the last year for which figures are available, in an average month in North Carolina about 1,600 people died from cancer, 1,500 people died from heart disease, 498 people died from accidents, 461 people died from chronic lower respiratory disease and 424 people died from stroke. Those were the top five causes of death in North Carolina in 2017 according to the CDC.
Also in an average month, about 200 people died from drug overdose and the average number of deaths per month in 2017 from flu/pneumonia was 173, according to the CDC.
In Guilford County, the average number of deaths per month during 2019 from all causes was about 834, according to figures from the Guilford County Register of Deeds office.
From April 1 through April 17, 2020, in Guilford County there have been 491 deaths reported. From March 31 through April 20, the number of deaths attributed to coronavirus in Guilford County was 13.
In January 2020 there were 915 deaths, in February 900 deaths and in March 764 deaths reported in Guilford County according to the Register of Deeds office.
Adding those up through April 17, 2020, in Guilford County 3,070 deaths have been reported in Guilford County. Of those deaths 13 or 0.4 percent have died from COVID-19.
Thank you, John. Finally some news that actually makes sense and reflects real life. People die. Always have and always will; shutting down the world may help save a few people – but is that worth the far greater effect this shut down is having on families, the economy, faith organizations, etc. I accept the following creed: EXPOSED to panic, CONTRACTED common sense, SURVIVED no toilet paper, IMMUNE to those who go to Lowe’s dressed in hazmat gear to buy grass seed. I suggest if an individual is concerned enough to tell others “don’t get in my space” then stay home because buying seed on Easter week-end isn’t “essential.” If an individual wants to go about their daily routine, they should be allowed to do so unscathed.
The economic impact is very real, but as a nation, is our culture so fragile we can’t survive being asked to interrupt our routines for a few months?
The damage to our people is absolutely worth considering all the time. That certainly affects our countries morale and deeply effects people on a personal level, but I think our senses of freedom and liberties can withstand it.
I mean hell, we beat the Nazis and the Soviets after all.
Take a look at homicide rates vs COVID death rates. Greensboro has 10 homicides so far this year and I think High Point has around 4. So Guilford County homicides for the year are around 14 while COVID deaths are around 13. I offer my deepest sympathies to anyone who has lost a loved one, regardless of the cause. However, we would not think of locking the world down because you might get murdered, nor should we be destroying our country simply because there is a statistically small chance you could get sick and die. This is not the plague the government wants you to think it is. Let’s get back to work.
Death rate is important but nowhere the main problem. We can save people, but at a vast cost to personal health, personal economics and increased risk to the healthcare infrastructure.
The cost of a long ICU stay is expensive to those with good insurance and potentially devastating to those with sub-par insurance.
John
How many died from abortion in that time frame in Guilford County?
Good, you can post statistics. See can any 5 year old we other a computer. Tell me, what do the other deaths have to do with Covid-19. That’s right, nothing at all. Are those other deaths caused by a contagious issue going on throughout the world now. No. So what is your point.
He did mention the flu, a highly infectious disease. Flu deaths outnumber, or at worst are on par with COVID deaths. Based on today’s thinking, we should go on lockdown every flu season. Ridiculous argument. You should also check your spelling.
You neglected to point out which of those other causes come from highly transmissible infectious diseases.
From the above article, “the average number of deaths per month in 2017 from flu/pneumonia was 173, according to the CDC.”
Seems like he did indeed point out the flu as one of those pesky, highly infectious diseases.
Hey John! Long time reader, first time commenter. First, thanks for all the years of informative reporting. The Rhino is my go to source of info on all things city and county government. (Incidentally, does council member Hoffman do anything anymore? She certainly doesn’t respond to constituents emails or speak much at meetings.)
Anyway, to look at your math really quick, I want to state that if we were to look at the 1600 number of cancer deaths/month and the estimated 10.5M population of the state, that comes to 0.02% of the population. And that is a predictable number that the healthcare system has an established infrastructure for. And it’s a number that doesn’t just pop up over a period of a month or two. This virus is so bad, not because it kills everyone or really even makes most people more than annoyingly sick, it’s because it could drop 1-15% of the entire population everywhere into the hospital at one time. That is a problem. You would quickly see that number of 0.4 jump a little bit because of the inability to care for the sickest.
I’m just glad this wasn’t Ebola or some version of Hanta. Or worse, weaponized Mutabaw virus.
Anyway, be safe and thanks again.
Thank you for “non-fake” news!
And your point is to make this Covid-19 crisis look less significant? To provide ammunition for those seeking to “liberate” North Carolina?
You’re 66 years-old or so, Mr. Hammer. While there are many ways to die, Covid-19 has its sights set on people our age.
Act, and write, responsibly.
So, and knowing your history and the history of this rag, you would have been in favor of doing nothing and just letting the virus run loose. If there isca second wave, be sure to rem8bd people if your callous and cavalier attitude. I certainly will
These numbers illustrate how the media has manipulated this problem, scared the public and forced our leaders to take unprecedented steps to control a viral infection that while causing deaths, is not having the impact that was predicted. The result, a fewer number of human deaths at the cost of the death of the American economy. Protect yourself, wear a mask, gloves, practice social distancing, but please, lets get back to living.
I think these death numbers reported that are reported as covid19 are actually caused by flue, copd, heart, suicide, abortion, accidents, and other things that are causing deaths here and all over the world, and have been with us for a long time. And I agree let’s get Bach to living. I am a first time contributor to this page, and I think our leaders have been given a lot of false info, by doctors and others advising them.
It seems the number of deaths due to other diseases seems to be more than the COVID-19 attack. The spread of COVID 19 has been made sensational by the media. Thus people must take care of their health to stay healthy and safe.
This is a valid truth. The over hype about COVID and its fatality rate has been a serious concern causing unnecessary panic in the society.