Quick Chart on Covid Mortality

This chart on Covid mortality provides perspective during the current spread of the delta variant.  The CDC COVID Data Tracker shows weekly rates per 100,000 population for COVID-19 cases (CDC’s term for infections) and deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic.  Selecting the dates corresponding to the peak death rate for each viral surge in the United States, I divided deaths by cases to approximate risk by age group:

While neither a comprehensive statistical analysis nor an entirely accurate calculation, this chart gives an idea of relative risk at important points in the pandemic.  The delta wave has not peaked, so we may have not seen the highest death rates from the present surge.  The risk of death for the elderly is consistently higher than for younger individuals, and, with few exceptions, age adjusted death rates have decreased in successive waves of the virus.  Maximizing survival should be our objective as the pandemic continues.