Health statistics can be misleading, especially when used to make political arguments and comparisons between countries or regions. A prime example is infant mortality rates, where the US is often portrayed unfavorably. However, these comparisons fail to account for the fact that the US diligently counts all infant deaths, while other countries exclude certain deaths from their statistics. This discrepancy skews the perception of the US’s performance in this area.
COVID-19 statistics are another case in point. The US is often ranked poorly in terms of its handling of the pandemic. However, it has become evident that the US has overcounted COVID deaths. Financial incentives, such as increased funding for healthcare providers and government payment of death expenses, contributed to this overcounting. The Establishment desired a panicked and compliant populace, so even deaths unrelated to COVID were often classified as COVID deaths. These anomalies and overcounts have been dismissed as conspiracy theories, but recent admissions, albeit buried in the media, confirm these claims.
The New York Times, for instance, acknowledged that COVID death numbers were inflated, although they did so only after the revelations would no longer impact public opinion. The CDC’s own data suggests that a significant portion of reported COVID deaths were cases where the virus was present but not the underlying cause of death. Adjusting for these factors would significantly change the international rankings, making the US look more favorable.
This belated admission from the media and experts is a clear case of self-preservation rather than an honest acknowledgement of misleading statistics. Their objectives were achieved: panic, desired election results, tarnishing the reputation of Republicans, increased control over social media speech, and suppression of dissent. Anthony Fauci’s recent admission regarding the limitations of respiratory vaccines falls into the same category of “now they tell us” revelations. These revelations come after years of misleading the public, leaving many frustrated and feeling deceived.
When analyzing statistics, it is crucial to question whether we are comparing similar entities. Often, this is not the case, particularly in international comparisons or when comparing dissimilar populations. The inclusion of millions of undocumented immigrants, for example, skews healthcare statistics in the US. Drawing comparisons between this population and a country like Japan would result in distorted numbers, potentially leading to misguided conclusions.
It is important to recognize that everything is politicized, and statistics should be approached with this in mind. They can be manipulated to support any narrative, making it necessary to critically examine the underlying data. Transparency and accuracy in data collection are crucial to making informed judgments.
