04 Aug To Your Health: Safe as a rattlesnake…Uncounted Covid-19 deaths & more!
Part-time Telluride local Dr. Alan Safdi, a world-renowned internist and gastroenterologist with encyclopedic knowledge of mind-body wellness and preventative medicine, posts on Telluride Inside… and Out under the banner of “To Your Health.” His blogs feature the most current information in his field: health, wellness, and longevity. Which now has to mean Dr. Alan’s podcasts are all about what’s on everyone’s mind: COVID-19.
The links a few of Dr. Alan’s podcasts on COVID-19 are below.
This week, Dr. Alan talks about all the uncounted death around Covid-19. (Sad, but true). Scroll down to listen to his podcast.
Note: Tough as it is everyone does need to be paying attention to the new normal: the corona pandemic has a death rate about 49 times higher than that of the flu in the United States. Dr. Alan suggests “WMD”: WASH, MASK, DISTANCE.
A recent study found that death toll reports attributed only 65% of the excess deaths in the U.S. to COVID-19, when the truth is far darker.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while about 0.1% of people who got the flu died in the US last year, the death rate from Covid-19 is currently about 4.9%, (based on the reported totals of cases and deaths). That statistic makes the coronavirus’ average death rate about 49 times higher than that of the flu.
If the US had adequate testing the number might be lower since we would pick up more asymptomatic cases; the same applies to influenza. COVID-19 case totals likely far undercount the true scope of the outbreak because the numbers includes only those who have gotten tested. The statistics also undercounts the excess deaths from COVID by up to 35 percent, cases involving patients with COVID-19 who died from related complications, such as heart disease for example. Those complications may have been listed as the actual cause of death rather than COVID-19.
Death rates of both the flu and the coronavirus vary widely between age groups, but both seem to be most fatal among people over 65. According to the CDC. during the 2018-19 flu season, about 35 million people in the US contracted the flu and about 34,000 died. Remember we are only five months into this pandemic and the numbers are much much higher than that. One reason: we have done a terrible job testing, contact tracing, and educating about the cascade of benefits from wearing masks to social distancing.
Regardless, the death count is well beyond what we would normally expect for this time of year and it is only partially explained by cases attributed directly to COVID-19.
Excess deaths not linked to COVID-19 rose significantly in states that had the largest outbreaks of the disease during the virus’s peak in early April. Those addresses include Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. And, in those states, there were 96% more diabetes-related deaths than experts predicted. For heart disease, the figure was 89%; for Alzheimer’s disease, it was 64%; and for stroke, it was 35%.
What’s more, we are likely to see similar phenomena in all the states experiencing large outbreaks now. Some ways we could dramatically slow the transmission of COVID-19 is to close bars and limit seating in restaurants, have people avoid crowds, and get at least 90% of people to wear masks correctly when out in public.
Please listen to this podcast for more information.
Dr. Alan on Covid-19, more podcasts/narratives:
Podcast 1: Proper hand-washing technique and more!
Podcast 2: Testing for Covid-19 and what are the differences and indications for each type of test?
Ways to boost your natural immunity during this pandemic.
A report on a rising “Danger to Kids.”
What to stockpile at home during the coronavirus outbreak.
Safe-distancing from runners and bikers.
Dr. Alan, more:
Dr. Alan Safdi is board-certified in Internal Medicine and in Gastroenterology and is a Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology. A proven leader in the healthcare arena, he has been featured on the national program, “Medical Crossfire” and authored or co-authored numerous medical articles and abstracts. Safdi has been involved in grant-based and clinical research for four decades and is passionate about disease prevention and wellness, not just fixing what has gone wrong. He is an international lecturer on the subjects of wellness, nutrition and gastroenterology.
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