Do you think there was really a pandemic?

[Melisa Jane]

This is a discussion topic for the May 2024 Book of the Month, "Neither Safe Nor Effective (2nd Edition): The Evidence Against the COVID Vaccines" by Dr. Colleen Huber.


The author wrote, "US mortality data at the end of 2020 did not support the allegation of a pandemic, because there was no more of an outlying peak in excess deaths in 2020 than other peaks throughout the past two decades."

Do you think there was really a pandemic?

[Shirley Ann Riddern Labzentis]

Yes, I do. A pandemic is defined as "an epidemic occurring worldwide or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and usually affecting a large number of people."

[Paul Great Grace]

Ah! There was not just a pandemic but a frustrating pandemic, it was obvious, that no one could do as usual. It was then I realized that something can take away one's freedom apart from prison.

[Jessica Uchechi Azuka]

I feel like this question has a more deeper meaning that is plainly put out here. However, whether by accident or orchestration, I believe that there was a pandemic.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I disagree with the author's statement. Multiple sources and studies provide evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted mortality rates in 2020.

1. Excess Deaths in 2020: According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States experienced a significant increase in excess deaths in 2020. The CDC reported that there were approximately 375,000 excess deaths attributable to COVID-19 in 2020 alone. This spike in excess deaths is far above the typical fluctuations observed in previous years and is a clear indicator of the pandemic's impact on mortality.

2. Comparison to Previous Years: Research published in reputable journals, such as the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), showed that the number of excess deaths in 2020 was significantly higher than in any recent years. For instance, an article in JAMA indicated that the excess mortality in 2020 was the highest observed in the U.S. since the 1918 influenza pandemic.

3. Global Context: The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March 2020 due to the rapid spread and high mortality rate associated with the virus. The global impact of COVID-19 was evident, with countries worldwide experiencing substantial increases in mortality, overwhelming healthcare systems, and implementing widespread public health measures to curb the virus's spread.

4. COVID-19 as a Leading Cause of Death: By the end of 2020, COVID-19 became one of the leading causes of death in the United States, surpassing many other common causes of death such as heart disease and cancer during specific periods of the year. This shift underscores the severity and widespread impact of the pandemic.

These points collectively refute the assertion that there was no significant peak in excess deaths in 2020. The data clearly indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic had a profound and unprecedented effect on mortality rates in the United States, aligning with the criteria of a pandemic.

So, yes, there was a Pandemic.

---------
Sources:

1. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covi ... deaths.htm
2. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/f ... le/2778361
3. https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/29 ... idtimeline
4. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7014e1.htm
5. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/202 ... -data.html

[Mojisola Omowunmi Omotosho]

Yes, I believe there really was a pandemic. I saw firsthand how COVID-19 affected my community, with many people getting sick and hospitals being overwhelmed. The changes to daily life, like lockdowns, mask-wearing, and social distancing, were significant and unprecedented. Additionally, the efforts to develop and distribute vaccines on such a large scale highlight the seriousness of the situation. The pandemic's impact on my life and the lives of those around me made it clear that this was a real and global crisis.

[Carol McCoy Phelps]

Of course there was a pandemic according to the dictionary definition:
a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease over a whole country or the world at a particular time

It wasn't just the US that experienced COVID19. One government might perpetrate a hoax, but the whole world (mostly) would not buy in.

My husband and I had COVID19. Our two next door neighbors died of it on the same day within one hour of each other. It was very, very real.

[williams Emerald]

The claim that there was no significant peak in excess deaths in 2020, and therefore no pandemic, is not supported by the data available from multiple sources hence I disagree with the authors statement. The substantial and well-documented increase in excess deaths in 2020, the strain on global healthcare systems, and the confirmed COVID-19 death toll provide strong evidence that there was indeed a pandemic. The assertion that US mortality data at the end of 2020 did not support the existence of a pandemic does not align with the overwhelming body of evidence from multiple reliable sources.

[Success Azuka]

This question is quite amusing. There was a pandemic. A lockdown pandemic that took lives in a scary way. Everyone around the world experienced the effect of the lockdown the pandemic caused.

[Pranav Dewangan]

This is the question I have asked myself multiple times. Although I also know the impact COVID has had what if we would have gained immunity anyway without the use of the vaccine and its long-term side effects? Sometimes I start believing the conspiracy theories too. What if labeling it as a pandemic was required to fast-track the development of vaccines?

[Adam Bryce Stern]

Yes, I do believe there was a pandemic because I first hand saw evidence of the havoc COVID 19 wrecked.

[Giridhar Achary]

Indeed, I think that a pandemic occurred. However, the epidemic was man-made and artificial, rather than natural. The COVID-19 pandemic, in my opinion, was an upsetting and unusual occurrence. It is an actual, worldwide crisis.

[Saima Rahman]

Yes, there was a pandemic. It affected way too many lives all over the world and took away so many of them. There was a serious impact throughout the world with real, devastating repercussions present still.

[Eva Nyaburi]

Yes, I believe so. The COVID-19 affected millions of people worldwide and so it definitely was a pandemic.

[Sean Patrick Tracy]

Oh! There was pandemic. It was obvious and proven. I experienced it with some people near me who was tested as having it the virus.