The Economist estimated the 7-day average daily excess death per 100,000 weekly for almost all territories. This is the first of four planned reports on places that got such high weekly averages of daily excess deaths that they defy belief. At its worst, COVID was never more than twice as bad as flu, so when very high death occurs, you wonder.
Back in June of 1957, Asian Flu first hit Rhode Island, USA. By March of 1958, two waves and nine months later, there were an estimated 69,800 dead. Because the U.S. population was 172.74 million at the time, then — for those 9 months — the average daily excess death per 100,000 was 0.148.
Back in 1918, Spanish Flu broke out. The results in India were so bad that they were unlike anywhere else in the world. When the world rate of excess death during the year of 1918 is used — but excluding India — you get 1.334 average daily excess deaths per 100,000.
Way, way back in 1779, smallpox hit Boston, Massachusetts — resulting in an average daily excess death rate of 2.74 per 100,000.
For 4.5 years from mid-1914 to near the end of 1918, the world was at war (WWI). The losing side of the war — the so-called Central Powers — had a total population of 143.1 million but lost over 7 million lives in those 4.5 years. That’s more than 4 times the rate that the winning side lost.
Hellbound and Down 