Several readers have asked to see deaths by age group related to the population of that age group. It’s a great suggestion and I agree that would be informative. Unfortunately, the CDC tally of such figures (see them here) are so far behind, that calculation would paint a significantly outdated picture, suggesting much lower rates than what is currently the reality. And that can be dangerous, because there are a lot of people who are looking for ways to support an argument that Covid-19 is “not all that bad.”

The CDC has compiled this data for only 54,861 deaths, while the actual toll as of this morning (5/15) is 85,843. So for example, the % of deaths in the whole U.S. population, based on the CDC’s current death tally of 54,861, is 0.0168%. But if you use the current count of 85,843, the rate is 0.0262%. That figure will be a constantly moving target, whereas the chart above (deaths as a % by age group) may change, but not likely as significantly or as rapidly. That’s actually why I presented the percentages, not the actual numbers.

Also, regarding where the numbers in the chart came from: Those links should have been included, and were in the early draft of the story, but then we switched from a text list to a jpg graphic. Here they are:

Covid-19 deaths by age group in New York City

Covid-19 deaths by age group in California

Covid-19 deaths by age group in the United States