Right, well the ONS data for the week ending 3 April show 6,000+ deaths over the five-year average, f. What do you reckon that was about, then?
By all means argue that the lockdown may not be the best plan (God knows, I have), but let's not try and pretend that this disease isn't killing relatively large numbers of people over and above the norm.
Of course they're not. It's virtually impossible to record all the deaths accurately at the moment. Not least because you have the question of 'dying with' and 'dying of', which are being far too easily confused at the moment. And different countries are recording slightly differently (or in some cases just flat-out lying). Equally, countries with low population densities are being compared on infection rates with ones with high population density. It's impossible to get an accurate picture as things stand.
The brutal truth is this, though: this thing is going to go through the global population. We have no choice about that. All that can be controlled is the rate of spread and thus the rate of deaths. Whether we like it or not, we're either going to get herd immunity through contracting it or (much less likely in the short term) by a vaccine. That means that mortality rates for those who contract it when this is all over are likely to be similar everywhere - just over different periods and mitigated only by factors of better and more available treatment.
It’s not necessarily a bad thing, mind. We’ve got far too many people and too many of them are old. Something that thins out the alter kackers might be helpful in the long run.
Granted, this theory may not be so appealing to those egotists who fear the blessed release of death.
It could mean the housing market temporarily becomes flooded as old'uns drop off the perch in large numbers. However, that will simply mean a drop in prices (good news for buying) that could mean inheriting families decide instead to rent rather than sell at the bottom of the market.
Talking of blessed release, did you see this?
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/202...r-seat-handle/