Al-O-Meter
Well-Known Member
I don't have that data, but I do have data that is nearly as damning that supports why I am so pro-vaccine but strongly against masks in schools and hybrid/distance learning.Now do the common flu
Per the CDC, Utah averages 147 suicide deaths per year among those aged 24 and younger. Since the pandemic began there have only been 10 COVID deaths of people aged 24 and younger, or an annualized rate of 7 per year. If the Utah government had instituted draconian lockdowns that had saved every one of those 10 people, but had the collateral effect of raising the suicide rate by a mere 5% through loneliness, job loss, hopelessness, etc., then the Utah government would have killed more people in that demographic than it saved.
So far I've only seen preliminary data on suicides, but the early indications are that suicide over the past 18 months is up a lot more than 5%. It may be anecdotal, but I know 2 families who had High School aged sons commit suicide in the past 18 months while I don't know any with kids who needed to be hospitalized from COVID. I think we need to do whatever we can to get the suicide rate down. There needs to be more social engagement, not less. There needs to be more youth sports and more opportunities for kids to be kids.
The data on this pandemic is crystal clear in that this is not a pandemic of the young. Over 99.6% of all SARS-CoV-2 deaths in Utah are from those aged 25 and over. Only 0.4% are aged 24 and younger, and COVID deaths among those aged 14 and younger is a full order of magnitude lower than even the 24-year old's rate. If you could choose between being young or being fully vaccinated, choose to be young. When it comes to SARS-CoV-2, young people are safer than even fully vaccinated middle-aged adults. If you give aged-14 and younger kids a vaccine that has a 1-in-a-million chance of an adverse reaction that could kill them, then statistically you'll kill more than you save. The COVID mortality statistics among those aged 14 and under are that low.
In the overwhelming majority of stories pushing for stuffing elementary school kids into masks with mandates or closing schools use statistics of adults to make their case. The dishonesty of that tactic doesn't sit well. I'm a big fan of getting the best data and using that to drive policy. The anti-vaxxers are the worst offenders by far, but the covid-crazy authoritarians also seem happy to use that tactic.
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