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Comment by cosmotic | Hacker News Reader

It's irresponsible to report Fentanyl as the number one killer in 18-45 without also reporting COVID is killing more people overall. COVID deniers will latch on to this statistic as evidence that COVID doesn't kill without this caveat.

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Disagree.

Lumping all age demographics together is irresponsible. People under 50 make up 2/3 of the population but only 7% or covid mortality.

Good public health policy should address the top threats per demographic.

Though I agree with your underlying point, if we can only focus on one problem at a time then we're also doomed.

No one is suggesting we stop giving fentanyl deaths attention or lumping all age groups. The suggestion here is to always give the caveat: ~300k COVID deaths compared to ~64k fentanyl deaths overall.

I've seen too many posts by COVID-deniers referencing this statistic without the caveat.

What caveat? Over the last two years there have been about 40k covid deaths for people under 50. So that is 2 years 40k vs 1 year 64k.

Those 300k covid deaths are not people in the same age band as fentanyl deaths, probably more like 20k.

Your caveat needs a caveat.

COVID deaths aren't perennial. Just look at Spanish flu, polio and smallpox once herd immunities and cure/vaccines available. Covid death is relatively mild if you factor in the effects is at most lasting 3 years (2020-2022). Fentanyl will kill way more than Covid for decades to come...way way more for those young demographics. You can choose to get vaccinated for yourself and your kids. You aren't able to do so with your kids "vaccinated" from Fentanyl. It takes huge parental care and upbringing (like eagle dads and tiger moms) to "vaccinate" from Fentanyl or other hardcore drugs. Majority of Americans won't do that. Nobody denies Covid deaths. People usually discussed on the risks of getting covid AND die vs vaccination AND not dying. Vaccine don't guarantees immunity. Just go ask your doctor friends how many covid deaths are vaccinated. I am 100% sure it is not 0% (from what I read is ~10%). Current situation is people who like to take the risk of getting infected AND dying prefer to have choice not taking vaccines. You can read up Singapore statistic showing a lot infected won't show symptoms ~80% and death due to Covid is way below 1%. Think of it as playing death from extreme games. Is it okay for communities decide to ban extreme games worldwide because dying from it is higher probable than those doing couch potatoes. Young children can get inspired to do so if you are thinking about "infection difference". At this moment, our countries are diverting huge amount of money for combating Covids. We aren't focusing enough on fentanyl deaths. Even Trump put effort on that compare to sleepy Joe and address the source of Fentanyl (big eastern country). Go read ASEAN countries how they deal with drug traffickers and addicts. Their results will put every western countries to shame.

That is a weird argument. That is like saying we shouldn't bring up strokes without also mentioning heart attacks.

What would it be irresponsible when it is true? There discussion is about what is killing people between the ages of 18 and 45. But what is killing more people overall. In fact it would be irresponsible to try to make it look like COVID deaths are a concern for people under 50.

Another way to put it, if someone said that car accidents are the leading cause of death among children, killing several thousand each year. Responding with "it is irresponsible to such that is the number one killer of children without mentioning that hear attacks kill even more people."

One might also consider malnutrition and starvation kill many more than Covid worldwide, always and still

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