Another Mike Myer column on how the virus discriminates

Today’s column, “Disease Can Discriminate, Too,” by the editor tells us that African-Americans have been affected more by the virus than whites. It is the third such column and like the previous ones, the column raises questions without much of an attempt to answer them.

One of the points that Myer makes is that some diseases affect some races more than others:

Consider this: In 2017, “regular” influenza and pneumonia killed 43,397 whites in our country — and just 5,556 black Americans. Clearly, that particular virus appears to have been more dangerous to whites.

(Emphasis mine.)

But that statistic doesn’t prove that it was more dangerous to whites – it tells us only that it killed more whites than blacks. A much more relevant statistic would be the death rate. I checked, and according to the Center for Disease Control, here are the “Age-Adjusted Pneumonia and Influenza Death Rates” for whites and blacks for 2017:

-- whites - 14.2 deaths per thousand
-- blacks - 14.9 deaths per thousand

Note - the chart includes data all the way back to 1980 and blacks have a higher death rate in every single year.

Perhaps it is time to find a different approach to this topic (and better use of evidence).

Missing and found – a column/editorial similar to the WTOV “investigative report” and an AP report

Yesterday, I wrote about local broadcaster WTOV’s biased investigative report into what the reporter called unemployment fraud. It occurred to me as I wrote it that the topic might become the subject for an Intelligencer editorial or Myer column. Neither happened. Additionally, I was pleased to see the referenced AP article appearing on page 10.

What happened to all those Ogden columnists who argued that the United States should adopt the Swedish model for dealing with the coronavirus?

In April, the Intelligencer published a a number of columnists (mostly from Town Hall) who argued that the United States ought to adopt the Swedish model in dealing with the coronavirus. (Sweden, unlike the rest of Europe did not pursue a strict lockdown policy.) Even though the Intelligencer continues to push for opening West Virginia, those pro-Sweden columns have disappeared. Perhaps the results of the Swedish experiment have something to do with it. Here is a recent sample of headlines about Sweden and the virus:

From Live Science:

Sweden's lax COVID-19 response caused too many deaths, country's top epidemiologist says

And from CNBC earlier today:

Shunned by its Nordic neighbors for its coronavirus strategy, Sweden says there are ‘wounds that will take time to heal’

Finally, today’s Insurance Journal notes that Sweden’s economy still suffered despite its lighter approach:

Sweden, in stark contrast to most other countries in Europe, enforced softer lockdown measures, leading to one of the highest death rates in the world relative to population. Despite the more lenient measures, the country’s economy has taken a hit with Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson estimating the Scandinavian nation is set for a 7% drop in gross domestic product.