Use of “normal” risk to improve understanding of dangers of covid-19

It is hard to communicate huge range of individual mortality risks from covid-19 experienced by people of different ages. Article looks at risks of dying from covid-19 & explores use of “normal” risk (risk of death from all causes each year) as an aid to transparent communication

SPS commentary:

It is estimated that for the general population, the risk of catching and then dying from covid-19 during 16 weeks of the pandemic was equivalent to experiencing around 5 weeks extra “normal” risk for those over 55, decreasing steadily with age, to just 2 extra days for schoolchildren. For those over 55 who are infected with covid-19, the additional risk of dying is slightly more than the “normal” risk of death from all other causes over one year, and less for under 55s.

British Medical Journal