Leading causes of death in the U.S.

While I project the annual death toll from Covid 19, keep in mind that so far this year the medical community was taken by surprise by a new disease with unknown cures and no vaccines to treat it. After 4 months, two treatments have been developed that are now reducing the death toll and rate. It’s also important to consider that Covid is mostly taking the lives of those who have one or more of the pre-existing conditions listed below, so a lot of those numbers will just be shifting from one cause to Covid.

Whatever the cause, on average 2.8 million of us will be exiting this planet every year, and despite the attack of this virus, the 2020 overall death rate from all causes including covid is on a downward trend, matching 2017 numbers when we had 5 million less population. Even with our current 63,000 Covid deaths in the first third of the year, I doubt with improving treatment techniques versus increased cases as the economy is opened back up, projecting through December could range from 125k to 180k is an approximation on my part. It could become a lot less.

Leading causes of death in the USA annually:

1) Heart disease 635k 23%
2) Cancer 598k 22%
3) Accidents 161k 6%
4) Lower respiratory 155k 5.6%
5) Stroke 142k 5%
6) Alzheimer’s 116k 4 1/4%
7) Diabetes 80k 3%
8) Influenza & Pneu 52k 2%
9) Kidney disease 50k 2%
10) Suicide 45k 1.6%
11) Septicemia 39k 1.4%
12) Chronic liver 38k 1.4%

Other 22.3%

While this chart might put Covid 19 in the top 6, we have to take into consideration that 327.2 million, or 99% of us will still be alive next year. Not only that, all the new births will make up for that 1%, so we’ll have just as many friends.

Life has risks. I say, “Live it, love it & laugh vigorously”.