Active COVID-19 Cases and Fatality Rate in the United States

According to Numbers Provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

(Note: The CDC did not report any numbers on 01-18-2021 in observance of MLK Jr. Day.  When they did this in observance of Christmas, they combined the numbers in the next day’s report – this time they didn’t seem to do that, the numbers for 01-19-2021 look like a single day’s total.) 

Active Cases = 3,250,180 (down 31,199)

(Formula: Total Cases-Closed Cases=Active Cases)

Case Fatality Rate = 1.920% (down 0.0086180%) Record Low CFR!

(Formula: Total Deaths/Closed Cases=Case Fatality Rate)

Total Cases = 23,982,584 (see: Caveat 1) 

Total Deaths = 398,009 (see: Caveat 2)

Closed Cases = 20,732,404

Caveat 1: This number represents “positive tests”, not the number of people who are actually sick. Approximately 90% of these positive tests are asymptomatic and non-contagious.  The same can be said for Active Cases.  In other words, only about 10% of the Active Cases in the United States are contagious COVID-19 carriers.

Caveat 2: The criteria for classifying a death due to COVID-19 are far different from the criteria used for classifying a death due to the Seasonal Flu.  If deaths due to the Seasonal Flu were calculated with the same criteria that deaths are calculated for COVID-19, the numbers for the Seasonal Flu would skyrocket.  Likewise, if deaths due to COVID-19 were calculated with the same criteria deaths are calculated for the Seasonal Flu, the numbers for COVID-19 would plummet; the numbers are incommensurable.