The Selfish Older Generations and COVID-19
Let the Younger Generations Tap Their Creativity and Change the World
It is prime time for the two generations of Americans below the age of 55. Prime time in the sense of their creativity, their earning power, and their ability to change the world for the better. Unfortunately, those under age 55 are being held back by the two older generations. The information from the first half of 2020 tells us that it is time for the self-centered restrictions of COVID-19 to end. Let the younger, stronger generations flourish.
Caveats
No one wants to die. There is an obligation to protect the most vulnerable. The most vulnerable must protect themselves. And we all know who the most vulnerable are. With that said, the evidence tells the story of reality, of fairness, and of the path of the future.
Inside the Numbers of COVID-19
The Centers for Disease Control recently released numbers through the first half of 2020 (as of June 27). Comparing these numbers with the US Census Bureau 2019 total US population of 328,239,523 provides interesting insights.
Over 92 percent of US deaths are related to 29 percent of the US population. Of the 112,226 COVID-19 related deaths that occurred in the US during the first half of 2020, 103,825 deaths (92.5%) are related to the oldest two generations of Americans, or those over 55 years old. This age group represents just over 9 million people, or approximately 29 percent of the US population.
The younger two generations represent 70 percent of the population but only 7.5 percent of the COVID-19 related deaths. Perhaps more interesting, there were 941 deaths related to those age 34 and younger, or less than one percent of all COVID-19 related deaths. The US population of those age 34 and under is 149,198,677, or approximately 45 percent of the US population.
Less than 1 percent of US COVID-19 deaths are related to 45 percent of the population. And this 45 percent of the US population represents those age 34 and younger, who are in their prime of their lives.
People age 24 and younger represent approximately 30 percent of the US population and account for 0.15 percent of COVID-19 related deaths. There were 171 COVID-19 related deaths out of 112,226 total COVID-19 related deaths associated with people age 24 and younger. There were 29 CIVD-19 related deaths associated with people age 14 and younger in the first half of 2020.
More Likely to Die from Other Causes
The three leading causes of death in the US for people age 34 and younger are accidents (unintentional injuries), suicide, and assault (homicide). These three causes are the same across all age groups, genders, and races in this age range. For people in the 15 to 34 age range, these three factors account of between 75 percent and 85 percent of all deaths. In other words, nothing else comes close. And especially not COVID-19.
The older two generations (age 55 and older) typically die from a broader combination of heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, Alzheimer disease, and diabetes. So roughly 30 percent of the US population die from these six causes but this same older population accounts for over 92 percent of COVID-19 related deaths. This is one reason that understanding whether COVID-19 was the primary cause of death or a secondary one is often difficult, and one reason that evaluating COVID-19 statistics can be confounding.
More Likely to Die in War
Our older two generations may want to protect themselves from the younger two generations when in come to COVID-19 but there is little doubt that the younger generation are sent to defend the nation in a time of war. The overall death rate for soldiers serving in a theater of war is 2.3%. The percentage in World War II was 2.29% while it was 0.06% in Desert Shield/Desert Storm. More boots-on-the-ground often lead to more non-combat related deaths, plus advancement in medical treatment over the past 75 years have improved the death rate in times of war. Nevertheless, we send young people to war where they are much more likely to die than they are if they are exposed to COVID-19.
It Is About the Future
The numbers from the first half of 2020 tell us the oldest two generations disproportionately protecting themselves by restricting the younger two generations. The trouble is that the younger two generations are the nation’s future. The younger two generations are in their prime in terms of creativity, earning capacity, and ability to make this world a better place. Release the younger, stronger generations and let them flourish. Anything else is pure greed and selfishness.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 68, №6, June 24, 2019, accessed via website https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_06-508.pdf on July 8, 2020.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Leading Causes of Death, accessed via website https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/leading-causes-of-death.htm on July 8, 2020.
United States Census Bureau, National Population by Characteristics: 2010–2019, accessed via website https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-national-detail.html#par_textimage_1537638156 on July 8, 2020.
United States Department of Veterans Affairs, America’s Wars (November 2019), V.A. Office of Public Affairs, Washington, DC 20420.
