No, I think it is a very misleading discussion to focus on death rates. First we have to decide what death rate to use. I think the case fatality rate is most useful, but those who want to downplay the virus want to use the infection fatality rate, because it is much lower. But, https://twitter.com/shirt145/status/1329183753890009088

talking about death rates for COVID is very misleading because the mortality rate for an 80 year old is 220 times greater than for an 18 year old. So, when we average it across all ages, you will get a CFR of about 3% or an IFR of a tiny fraction like that stated by the person

you were corresponding with, but if I were talking to the 80 year old’s family and asked what the expected mortality rate would be, I wouldn’t say a tiny fraction of 1% or even 3%, it would be more like 15%. On the other hand, if I was talking to the family of the kindergartner

in Texas and asked the same question and responded that the mortality rate is extremely small, I suspect that gave the family no comfort when their child died. Further, people who want to downplay COVID always go to the mortality rate. But that entirely misses the long-term

complications of COVID in those who survive, that if people really understood what those were like, they would be far less willing to engage in the reckless behavior they are engaging in thinking that they are not going to die from it.