I researched some death statistics today and here’s what I found. These are rough figures based mainly on U.S. statistics. Mathematicians and scientists, if anything’s wrong, please correct me:

·   The chance of death by electrocution is 1 in 15,200.

·   Heat waves kill 1 in 10,800.

·    Death by furniture accident is 1 in 4,240.

·     Choking kills 1 out of 3,140.

·     1 in 794 people die from sex.

·     Pedestrian accidents kill 1 person out of 608.

·     Firearms kill 1 in 358, but this is strictly a U.S. statistic.

·     Car accidents kill 1 in 113.

·     Medicine overdoses are responsible for 1 out of 96 deaths.

·      Alzheimers kills 1 in 47.

·      Stroke strikes out 1 in 31.

·      If half of the people on earth were to contract COVID-19, the chances of death from the virus would be 1 in  29.

·      Lung disease kills 1 in 27.

·      Non-natural causes including many of the dangers above kill 1 in 13.

·      Cancer takes 1 out of 7.

·      Heart disease is the top cause of death, killing 1 in 6.

But the Sunshine Coast has a major issue that can ramp up the death rate with the Coronavirus. It kills mainly the older population. Some 16 percent of people are over age 70 (again, a U.S. figure), and deaths from the Coronavirus strike mainly the older segment.

If half of the world’s population were to contract the virus, seniors would have close to a 50 percent chance of dying from COVID-19. About 23 percent of the Sunshine Coast population is over 70, so the death toll could be much larger here.

Yesterday provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry indicated she did not find the risk to be high enough in British  Columbia to shut down public gatherings. However, in my opinion, the situation on the Coast is different—and scary. Sunshine Coast seniors should choose activities that will keep them away from the coughing public.