The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) finished a recent study concerning excess deaths-- the difference between observed and expected deaths-- in America during the 5 month period of March- July 2020 inclusive.  They found there was a 20% increase over expected deaths, with 1,336,561 deaths reported and 1,111,031 deaths expected.  Of the 225,530 excess deaths, 67% were attributed to COVID-19.   Some excess deaths would include the lives lost “indirectly through delayed care for acute emergencies, exacerbations of chronic diseases, and psychological distress (eg, drug overdoses)” among other causes.

They also broke down the excess death figures by state.  The Top 10 states for highest per capita excess death rates (in order) were New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Arizona, Mississippi, Maryland, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Michigan.  They include a map showing excess deaths:

Furthermore, the study states, "Moreover, restrictions imposed by the pandemic (like stay-at-home orders) could claim lives indirectly through delayed care for acute emergencies, exacerbations of chronic diseases, and psychological distress (like suicide, drug overdoses, etc.)."

A similar list was put out at the beginning of the initial responses of the states as to who had the most restrictive policies in US News & World Report.  You will find a lot of familiar names from the ten states leading in excess deaths for the 5 months that followed:  Rhode Island, Maryland, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey (and non-state Washington DC, which they rank among the top ten in the excess death study when considered).  

Throughout those five months of the coronavirus, Michigan, Illinois, California, Colorado, and Pennsylvania enacted new policies which would put them in intermediate top ten lists for strictest policies.  You will note they are all among the top 21 in excess deaths among states (those that are not light blue).  

The seven states without stay-at-home orders were Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.  Every single one of these states were among the 27 light blue states that had the lowest levels of excess mortality.  

Excess deaths is a better measure than COVID-19 deaths of the pandemic’s total mortality. It measures the additional deaths in a given time period compared to the number usually expected, and does not depend on how COVID-19 deaths are recorded.  It appears that states that adopted strict policies which crippled businesses and kept the population mostly homebound had the highest excess death rates.  Those states that allowed individuals and businesses to be mostly unrestricted and observe guidelines on a voluntary basis appear to have the lowest excess death rates.

Exercising freedom and free will is healthy.

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Good information X. It seems to me that they should have used the "average" death rate, per capita, including years when severe outbreaks of the flu were prevalent, including the Spanish flue outbreak, then figure out the per capita average not the total number. How about the pre antibiotic and pre vaccine years. I bet we would see a much different result.  I don't trust the CDC. Statistics can be skewed and twisted like a pretzel especially when used to inform the extremely ignorant left in this Country.  It really makes no sense. 

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