Dennis Prager takes calls comparing COVID-19 to the 2009 H1N1 outbreak. Callers debate mortality rates, noting that limited testing makes case-fatality ratios unreliable, and point out that per-capita deaths in Sweden appear higher than in the US. Prager stresses the importance of careful data interpretation during the pandemic.
Steve in Sacramento, thank you for calling.
Hi Dennis, good to hear from you.
And by the way, I have to say, that's funny because you, you called me, but it's still good for it to hear from me. That's cute.
I know, uh, I have the same skepticism you do, but I do have a little bit more alarm on this one than the H1N1 and the prior ones. And it has to do with the, with the, with the statistics really. Um, you mentioned the millions of people who were infected in the thousands, but that ratio quite different than what we're seeing in places like New York and in the U.S. And a second point, um, Sweden's death rate is actually quite a bit higher than the U.S. when you consider it per capita at this point.
Yeah, well, I understand, but you have— this is the answer to, to your— I think it's the answer to your question. We don't know how many people have had it or have it now. Because so few have been tested. And that— so that's, that's, that's when I'll know what the ratio, what the mortality rate is. You can only know the mortality rate based on the number of people who have it. If 200 million— right, you're with me on that, correct?
Absolutely. I mean, I'm an engineer, I'm a data nut, I'm always looking at the data, and I'm looking at this one, and over a time period, it is different than other— than former pandemics. One of the problems, one of the one of the best situations we have is we've never had this kind of access to the data before. I mean, everybody and his brother is looking at charts and trying to interpret them.
Right, but we need to do it in the context of other charts. That's all, that's really all I'm saying.
Yeah, I agree with that. By the way, my, make another comment. About 4 years ago, my 28-year-old daughter who had moved to Boston told me about this new radio show she found, and she was listening to you every day. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life.
That is so adorable. I'm very, very touched. I know this is going to sound awful to those who don't like me, but he's right. It should have been one of the most exciting days in his life because if your child shares your values, it is an unbelievably important and wonderful thing in your life. And you're lucky too. There's a lot of luck in life.
Crackpotty. Crackpotty. Crackpotty.
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