Re: inverse correlation
...precautions (restrictions but also vaccinations) taken to reduce the spread of COVID-19 also suppressing the flu.
As far as I am aware the Covid-19 vaccines do not suppress or protect against influenza.
If we plot the mortality rates for England and Wales (percentage of people in each sex and age group who die in a year) over the long term we see a steady improvement over the years. In particular we see a dramatic improvement (especially among the under 1 year group) since 1947 (the inception of the NHS).
In 2000 the UK started offering influenza vaccines to all over 65s (previously it had been only offered to 'vulnerable' people). In 2000 the uptake of influenza vaccine among the over 65s was 65% and this has increased in the years since.
There is no observable improvement in annual mortality rates in any sex and age group associated with this intervention.
Please don't take my word for it. You can get the mortality data via the Human Mortality Database (HMD) at https://mortality.org/ (free registration required). I only looked at England & Wales data; many other countries' data is also available, so other public health interventions elsewhere could also be assessed.
Please don't think I'm an anti-vaxxer. I think the smallpox, polio, diphtheria, BCG, MMR and many, many other vaccines have been a huge success. I just don't think that a vaccine targeted at the elderly (ie people like *me*) is going to be particularly useful in delaying death.
Everyone dies eventually - it follows that everyone currently alive should be considered to be 'not dead yet'.
icon---> There is no escape.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
