1. Texas now has more Covid deaths than California does, even though California& #39;s population is 33% bigger.

So Texas& #39;s per capita death rate from Covid is 40% higher than California& #39;s.

2. The numbers look even worse when you look at excess deaths - Texas has 19,696 excess deaths since Feb. 1, while California has 15,829.

That means Texas& #39; excess deaths per capita are 70% higher than California& #39;s since the pandemic started.

3. This isn& #39;t because of demographics - a slightly higher percentage of *California& #39;s* population is over 65. It& #39;s because the two states have taken dramatically different approaches toward fighting the virus.

4. And for those who say California& #39;s strict lockdown has itself killed people, California actually has slightly fewer excess deaths than Covid deaths since February.

It& #39;s Texas, which locked down only haltingly, that has many more excess deaths than confirmed Covid deaths.

5. It& #39;s reasonable to critique California for some of what it& #39;s done - in particular, the fact that schools are still closed in parts of the state with very low positive-test rates is silly. But that what it& #39;s done has also helped save lives is undeniable.