Excess deaths is a perfectly valid statistic to base policy off... if policy makers maintained a hands-off approach and didn't radically change society through out the pandemic.
Can you in good conscience say that the typical rate of death remained steady while the following happened:
* a majority of given populations remained at home (lock downs - meaning no travelling to work in multi-tonne death traps)
* practised increased hygiene protocols (masks, more frequent hand washing)
* did not visit elderly homes (at least, less than usual)
* many people were reluctant to get timely health care (due to fear of catching COVID from medical facilities)
* ate worse and excersied less
* infected elderly patients were sent back to their nursing homes (to typically infect the entire facility)
There are so many confounding factors that on the face of it, should result in a radically different death profile... and almost every country faced the above to different extents.
Anyone claiming to be able to work out the actual number of people who died from COVID-19 from excess deaths is being disingenous at best.
Can you in good conscience say that the typical rate of death remained steady while the following happened:
* a majority of given populations remained at home (lock downs - meaning no travelling to work in multi-tonne death traps)
* practised increased hygiene protocols (masks, more frequent hand washing)
* did not visit elderly homes (at least, less than usual)
* many people were reluctant to get timely health care (due to fear of catching COVID from medical facilities)
* ate worse and excersied less
* infected elderly patients were sent back to their nursing homes (to typically infect the entire facility)
There are so many confounding factors that on the face of it, should result in a radically different death profile... and almost every country faced the above to different extents.
Anyone claiming to be able to work out the actual number of people who died from COVID-19 from excess deaths is being disingenous at best.