The Coronavirus has killed more Americans than Vietnam War combat.
In detail, the US Veterans’ Administration (VA) estimates there were 47,434 American battle deaths in the Vietnam War.* In contrast, Worldometers estimates the coronavirus killed 52,243 Americans by 25 April 2020.
The Vietnam War lasted for 11 years, from 1964 to 1975. Conversely, the coronavirus has only been spreading for about five months, since December 2019. Scientists think the coronavirus; or SARS-CoV-2, originated in bats in Wuhan, China. Epidemiologists think the COVID-19 began infecting humans in December 2019.
Moreover, the number of U.S. coronavirus fatalities is approaching the total of America’s World War I battle deaths. The VA estimates 53,402 American service people died in World War I combat.
It’s Official Coronavirus is worse than Vietnam
Remember, the Vietnam upended America’s political system, sparked mass protests, and destroyed the presidency of Lyndon Baines Johnson (D-Texas). Johnson, or LBJ, was one of the most popular presidents in US history.
Thus, I have to wonder how President Donald J. Trump (R-New York) can survive the coronavirus pandemic. My prediction is that coronavirus’s impact on America will be far greater than the disruption from the Vietnam War.
I wonder how many careers and institutions the coronavirus pandemic will destroy. I expect the coronavirus carnage will be as great as that from the Great Depression, or World War II.
Note: the number of total US military deaths in World War I and Vietnam is higher than the number of battle deaths. For example, the VA estimates 10,786 Americans died from noncombat causes, such as accidents, in Vietnam. Meanwhile, the VA estimates 113,842 US military members died from noncombat causes; including the Spanish Flu pandemic, in the first First World War.*
*https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/factsheets/fs_americas_wars.pdf
Originally published at https://marketmadhouse.com on April 25, 2020.
