Astral Codex Ten Podcast The Other COVID Reckoning
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Jun 5, 2025 Five years on, discussions about COVID continue to swirl, from lockdowns and mask confusion to the vaccine debates that divided communities. The staggering loss of 1.2 million lives often goes unmentioned, overshadowed by sensationalized controversies. Younger victims of the virus reignite discussions about mortality, while society grapples with the emotional fallout and the reluctance to face these truths. Instead of confronting collective grief, many prefer to engage in heated argumentation.
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COVID Death Toll Overshadowed
- The 1.2 million American COVID deaths are rarely discussed despite being the deadliest event in U.S. history.
- Public debate focuses on controversies, overshadowing the sheer human loss behind the statistics.
Youth Deaths in Pandemic
- Though most deaths were elderly, the pandemic killed 250,000 Americans under 65, equivalent to a city's population.
- These deaths included many relatives who would have had years left, underscoring the tragedy beyond age statistics.
Paradox of COVID Policy Errors
- Early COVID warnings likely underestimated deaths, but stricter policies would have been impractical.
- Opposing errors cancelled out: ignoring costs vs. ignoring deaths led to flawed but balanced outcomes.