If you think the Coronavirus death numbers are exaggerated, please look at this @jshkatz chart. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/10/upshot/coronavirus-deaths-new-york-city.html

This chart looks at something called “all-cause mortality,” which basically means all the deaths in New York City. If coronavirus was killing people who were already going to die, this would capture that.

Instead, the opposite appears to be occurring. Deaths are increasing in New York City by even more than the number of counted deaths that can be directly attributed to the virus. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/10/upshot/coronavirus-deaths-new-york-city.html

And, sadly, these numbers are still incomplete, because C.D.C. is still processing death certificates. The final numbers are going to be higher for this period.

And, this period ends on April 4, and New York's daily death toll has gone up since then. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/10/upshot/coronavirus-deaths-new-york-city.html

We don't know yet about all the underlying causes of death. It's possible some, like car accidents went down. But it's likely that these numbers mean that some New Yorkers are dying of things they would survive in normal times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/10/upshot/coronavirus-deaths-new-york-city.html

It's also possible that the official statistics are undercounting covid-19 deaths. This great story from @AliWatkins @WRashbaum suggests they are. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/nyregion/new-york-coronavirus-death-count.html

It’s not just New York City. The coronavirus pandemic is causing huge and unusual increases in deaths in the places it has struck. Powerful reporting from @jwf825 @atmccann https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/21/world/coronavirus-missing-deaths.html

Whatever you think about the coronavirus-specific death counts, this should get your attention. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/21/world/coronavirus-missing-deaths.html