Did you read the footnotes on how they tweaked the data?

Posted on: December 16, 2020 at 14:49:13 CT

Article first.. then footnotes showing how they modified the data.

The total number of excess deaths (deaths above average levels) from January 26 through October 3 ranged from a low of approximately 841 in the youngest age group (<25 years) to a high of 94,646 among adults aged 75–84 years.§§ However, the average percentage change in deaths over this period compared with previous years was largest for adults aged 25–44 years (26.5%) (Figure 2). Overall, numbers of deaths among persons aged <25 years were 2.0% below average,¶¶ and among adults aged 45–64, 65–74 years, 75–84, and ≥85 years were 14.4%, 24.1%, 21.5%, and 14.7% above average, respectively.



FOOTNOTES:
" Weeks when the observed numbers of deaths were below the average numbers from 2015 to 2019 were excluded from the total numbers of excess deaths above average levels (i.e., negative values were treated as 0 excess deaths).

¶¶ The total average percentage change in the number of deaths occurring from the week ending February 1, 2020, through October 3, 2020, included weeks where the percentage difference was negative (i.e., deaths were fewer than expected). This mainly affected the youngest age group, among whom, overall, deaths during this period were 2.0% below average. Excluding weeks with negative numbers of excess deaths results in overall percentage increases of 4.2% for decedents aged <25 years. Increases for other age groups were similar when excluding weeks with negative numbers of excess deaths, with the exception of those aged ≥85 years, among whom the percentage increase was larger (18.1%) when weeks with negative values were excluded..

Edited by TigerMatt at 14:50:22 on 12/16/20