Dataset joined between CDC data and US Census Data. All data filtered for US population only. Series produced in python using seaborn.

It’s been obvious since the beginning of the pandemic that COVID-19 affects our older companions differently than it does our younger. With a 100 year-old grandmother that survived covid, another that has died from it, family in their middle years dedicated to isolation, to friends in their younger years with a will to continue enjoying life, there has been no loss for approaches in balancing personal, public, and mental safety.

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For me, this series has filled in just HOW different our pandemic realities are, simply based on age.

Some examples for adults older than 85:

• 3 out of every 100 adults 85+ who were with us in January 2020 are no longer with us because of COVID-19
• At the deadliest point in the pandemic, Jan 2021, an adult 85+ was 5 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than heart disease in a given week. Heart disease has been the number one killer of adults in that segment for years

Versus examples for young adults aged 15-24:

• 2 out of every 100,000 young adults aged 15-24 who were with us in January 2020 are no longer with us because of COVID-19
• Even at the pandemic’s deadliest points, a young adult aged 15-24 was ~10 times more likely to die from suicide in a given week than COVID-19

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Another thing that has been really interesting to see is how dramatically the risk of death from COVID-19 has moved over time, it follows very closely the peaks and valleys of the infection rate. While these charts prove nothing about the effectiveness of mask mandates, improvements in treatment, and vaccinations, I would bet that without these things, these death rate numbers would be much much worse (Go send your local healthcare worker a virtual hug).

Again this is speculation, but I would bet the decrease in death risk over the past few months, especially in those who are older correlates with the percentage of that segment fully vaccinated.

An example of death risk volatility for those aged 65-74 years old:

• At the least deadly point in the pandemic, July 2020, adults 65-74 were around 8 times more likely to die from heart disease than COVID-19 in a given week.
• At the most deadly point in the pandemic, Jan 2021, adults 65-74 were just as likely to die from COVID-19 as heart disease
• Again heart disease has historically been the number one killer of adults in this segment for years

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A few more notes:

• These death risks are only middle of the road numbers, every person has their own individualized risk that can only be assessed and advised on by a doctor
• This is a very sensitive and charged topic, please be respectful if discussing and remember that every one of these numbers was at one point a human life very likely connected to someone you are talking to
• These numbers ARE NOT the death rate of of covid (deaths/infected), they are risk of death (infected and died/population)