I May Be Math-Challenged, But I Think I’ll Survive

image credit: dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/

I do not want to contract the coronavirus (COVID-19).

I do not want to die from the coronavirus.

But what are my odds of contracting or dying from the coronavirus compared to other things?

As of this very moment (it will grow by the time you read this), there have been 114,285 reported cases (world-wide) of coronavirus. Out of those, there have been 4009 deaths.

If you look carefully at the statistics, however, the worst risk of dying from the coronavirus, if infected, is not China; it’s in Italy. There the death rate is nearly 4.5%, while in China it is only a little more than 3%. Yet, so far in America, with only 24 deaths, the death rate is now 4.1%. Are we trying to catch up with Italy?

But death statistics don’t tell the whole story. The rate of infected persons per 1 million are 151.7 in Italy, while only 1.9 in America. That’s a critical statistic! You’re literally 80 times more likely to contract the coronavirus in Italy than America.

I don’t want to go to Italy – at least not right now.

But think about these annual death statistics (in America):

• 88,000 people die from alcohol-related causes
• In 2014, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 9,967 deaths
• Heart disease: 647,457
• Cancer: 599,108
• Accidents (unintentional injuries): 169,936
• Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 160,201
• Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 146,383
• Alzheimer’s disease: 121,404
• Diabetes: 83,564
• Influenza and pneumonia: 55,672
• Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 50,633
• Intentional self-harm (suicide): 47,173
• Automobile accident (2019): 38,800

Folks, I’m not a math whiz, not like most of you. But if you simply look at the raw data, I don’t see what all the hype is about?

There are 328 million people in America. Of those 328 million:

• 0.2% of the U.S. population will die of the flu
• .012% of the U.S. population will die in automobile accidents
• Only .000008% of the U.S. populations has, at this point, died from coronavirus (COVID-19)

In other words, if you go outside of your cave dwelling at any point this year, based on current statistics, you’re THOUSANDS OF TIMES more likely to die from a heart attack, cancer, the flu, or a terrible automobile accident than coronavirus.

As someone recently said, “You’re more likely to die from drinking Coronas than getting coronas[virus].”

Just live normally . . . unless you’re craving pizza in Italy.