Why has the virus killed so few famous or rich people?

[BlueStater]

Herman Cain died from it, as did a few minor celebrities, but no really famous, powerful people have died of it. Even 87-year-old Chuck Grassley is reportedly asymptomatic.

Most people who get the virus survive it, but the odds would seem to suggest that at least a handful of famous people who have gotten it (and quite a few of them have at this point) would succumb to it and so far that hasn’t happened.

Yeah, I guess I’m turning into a bit of a conspiracy theorist in regards to this. Some of these people haven’t seemed like they’re in the greatest health either. It’s just...odd.

[JI7]

1. It has killed some famous people

Especially early on.

Less now since they can easily isolate .

[tblue37]

2. Money buys the best health care. Status & fame helps with that, too.

[Mike 03]

14. Money also buys the ability to isolate for long periods of time.

You can order almost anything and have it delivered.

[KewlKat]

21. This

[tblue37]

22. But the question was why rich & famous people who get it don't die--not why some don't get it.

[soothsayer]

3. Rich people let others do most of the social interactions like shopping?

[BlueStater]

7. I'm talking about rich people who've actually had it.

The virus has no cure, so I don’t know what they’re receiving that average people are not.

[intrepidity]

9. OP is about those who test positive, I believe

So the issue isn't about exposure to the virus, but succumbing to it.

[judesedit]

4. The have cream of the crop health insurance

[drray23]

5. because the virus kills a fraction of people, say 2 to 3 %

Amongst all of these a small fraction is famous or rich. So, its a fraction of fraction which is not a big number.

[mr_lebowski]

19. Only the first 2-3% is pertinent here ...

OP means how come so few of the rich/famous people we hear who tested positive actually die from it.

Like we've heard of lots of Congresspeople and people in the Trump admin ... and none of them died. Including Trump who was barely sick at all.

[joshcryer]

30. Also, rich people will seek a doctor at the slightest symptom.

A poor person who hasn't seen a doctor in a decade will be hesitant to do so.

[snowybirdie]

6. Likely

they are getting extra special care regular people can't get. The rich are different than us.

[LisaM]

8. I've had the same thought.

I guess they catch it early and get better care,.which goes to show that testing is essential.

It did kill John Prine and some older athletes, but it seems as if the media kind of downplays this for some reason.

[onenote]

10. It tends to kill older people - a number of whom once were "famous" but aren't as well known today.

https://www.businessinsider.com/high-profile-people-who-have-died-coronavirus-related-illness-so-far-2020

[PatSeg]

26. Thanks

That really gives some perspective.

[JHB]

27. A good list. Few if any of those people are household names in the US...

...or sometimes they are within particular fields and communities, but none of those communities are ones the Republican base would take much notice of. It's all other people.

If it takes out some of their favorite celebrities they might have their "Rock Hudson moment," but not until then.

[Hortensis]

11. Statistical chances combined with fall of the cards so far? PLUS,

other factors. Active elderly are a lot healthier overall than the average for their ages, so right there the deck is cut in favor of public figures being able to throw off the virus without severe illness.

And I imagine Republican leaders, like typical high performers, are a lot more likely to jump on symptoms right away than those who foolishly trust them that it's just a cold. We're seeing trumpsters being brought for medical care with advanced cases, but not Trump.

[Newest Reality]

12. Good question...

There are many strains of COVID, but that seems to be about how viral it is and has no relation to how lethal it is, so far.

Comorbidity does play into it, but for instance, when testing for D3 levels in patients they have found a severe deficiency in far too many people and it takes a couple of weeks for that to reach adequate blood serum levels.

There is one speculation that rich and famous people may have better immune systems overall and that does make a difference and makes sense as far as nutrition goes.

Of course, there could be other factors that play into this as an amalgamation.

[Blue_true]

34. Rich and long term middle class and upper middle class people

typically have had better health care all of their adult lives. So they are more prone to see a Doctor at the first inkling of trouble. Those groups also have better physical fitness than their poorer counterparts and are less obese.

[brooklynite]

13. Math is your answer...

There are 328.2 M people in the United States

There have been 254,000 COVID deaths.

That's, 0.78% of the population.

The statistical odds that any one person is going to have a fatal condition, much less someone you've heard of are vanishingly small.

[Mariana]

23. You're off by a factor of ten. It's 0.078% of the population.

Less than one in one thousand, so far.

[NoRoadUntravelled]

15. Here's something of a list. I don't imagine it is complete.

[Silent3]

16. While the aggreate number of deaths is appalling, especially since so many people could...

...have been saved, the individual risk of mortality from COVID isn't that big. The number of people who have died so far is less than 0.1% of the total population. Most of those people have been elderly and/or had other complicating conditions.

Trump's fat ass was probably the most vulnerable given is weight and general health, but even then, he probably had at worst a 5% chance of dying even without the luxury health care he received.

I'd guess it that most of the famous people who get it are young and healthy (like athletes and too-stupid-to-stop-partying celebs), so they aren't at high risk. A lot of other famous people are smart enough to avoid getting sick in the first place, and can pay other people to do risky stuff for them.

[NoRoadUntravelled]

17. Here are more well known people who have died from Covid 19.

[Bluepinky]

18. I'm still wondering if Trump really had it, and if so, why wasn't he sicker?

He’s obese (a huge risk factor for it), and elderly. Plus, he doesn’t seem to be in great health. It was surprising he recovered so quickly, if he even had it.

I’m wondering if the wealthy have access to treatments that others don’t (specifically wealthy Repubs).

[KayF]

20. there has been reporting on the cost of Trump's treatment

I don't think we have access to what private citizens' treatment is.

But I'm sure it's because if you want to live, it costs money, and they have it.

It drives the opposition to national health. The rich people want to keep it so they are the ones who live, pandemic or not.

[LAS14]

24. Think about how few people in active public life die during that time. I've always presumed that...

... an active, high profile life pumps up your immune system.

[treestar]

32. +1 million zillion

All the pols and SCOTUS judges that keep at it - it must also be a very satisfying life - look at RBG or DiFi. Both could have enjoyed their golden years traveling, and so on. Sitting on the beach. Yet RBG kept working, even when she had cancer. There are other examples, too.

[lettucebe]

25. I seriously would like to know

Because the statistics say there should be more seriously illness in this group than there has been. Why did tRump, overweight, obviously not well man, have such an easy time of it? Speedy treatment at hospital, yes, but are all these people getting that? It certainly makes one wonder, but it is obvious if you are told to go home and only come back if you think you are dying compared to, " come right in, we have your treatment ready," well, what's going to happen?

The rich will survive better, they typically don't really care that the masses (the less wealthy) are dying but they should care. Those people are who made them rich. Work in their factories, clean up their messes. They need the less to continue having their more.

[BrightKnight]

28. They can afford to stay home and order Instacart. Also,

many of them are smart enough to do that (regardless of what they say in public). I imagine that a lot of them went to vacation homes that were not in places like New York.

[joshcryer]

29. bamlanivimab availablity should lower deaths across all classes.

Rich people obviously are going to have the connections to get it in the early stages. But it literally has the exact antibodies the body would create via vaccine or via getting sick from it and it can't fail.

The pandemic is largely over at this point, if you accept it exists, and seek medical help. The people who die are ones who live with the symptoms until it's too late for them. If they go in with minor symptoms, and are elderly, they will be given bamlanivimab and be cured.

[treestar]

31. At first it seemed like many of them got it

I figured because of their frequent air travel. But as some in the thread pointed out, they can isolate better. They have better health care for the virus and better health care for some years before. They probably have good diets and opportunity to exercise and so are in better shape to resist it to start.

[Leith]

33. There are more than you think

It may be because older people succumb more than the young. And old celebrities who are retired just don't make the headlines.

I googled "famous people who died from coronavirus" and I didn't recognize most of the names. That was for many reasons: before my time, people in other countries that I've never heard of, people in fields I've never been interested in (like baseball players from the 1960s), and so on.

They are dying, but they were too old to make news headlines.