Population vs case fatality rates

There is sometimes confusion about the difference between Case Fatality Rates (CFR) and Population Fatality Rates (PFR). CFR is the percentage of people who have died out of the total number of positive cases. So, right now, in the United States, 1,128,874 people have died and 102,662,160 people have tested positive, resulting in a CFR of 11 out of 1,000 (1.1%).

The total population is 328,200,000, so the PFR is 1 out of 291 (0.34%).

You can see them graphed against each other, below. Notice how CFR rises and falls, as cases surge and ebb, followed by fatalities 2-3 weeks later. PFR, on the other hand, is monotonically increasing — the more people die, the higher your PFR.

Note: imported from Covid Proxima. Click here to see all the interactive elements.