RUSH: We have more model movement today, ladies and gentlemen. “Projected coronavirus deaths in the United States were lowered by 25% from 81,766 to 60,415 early Wednesday morning.” This is the Washington state model, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Chris Murray model, IHME. This has been the lead model from the get-go.

This model is why we’ve done what we’ve done, plus the model from the U.K., the Neil Ferguson model. I forget the name of it off the top of my head. That’s the model that predicted 2.2 million if we didn’t do anything, and then they revised it. It was 2.2 million U.S., 500,000 U.K. if we didn’t do anything, then they factored social distancing in the model, and the numbers went down to 200,000 from 2.2 million.

So that model has been used as well. But now “projections for coronavirus deaths in the U.S. by 25% from 81,766 to 60,415 early Wednesday morning. Wednesday’s dramatic reverse in the model’s projection of U.S. deaths was made without a press release from IHME explaining the reasons for the reduction.” So they just lowered the prediction, projection; they didn’t tell anybody why.

“It marks the second reduction in the model’s U.S. deaths projections since April 1, when it forecast 93,765 U.S. fatalities.” It’s now down to 60,000. What happened to 240,000? What happened to 100,000 to 200,000? What happened to 240,000? Now this model is predicting down to 60,415 — again, a 25% reduction in the models released just this morning.

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RUSH: Now, folks, I want you to listen here to me because this is very important. I’m gonna run through this. I’ve got limited time. I’ll do it again after the break at the bottom of the hour. I’m gonna start with the original projection from both the Imperial College and the IHME: 2.2 million people dead, if we don’t do anything. That was their projection. They put the number out there.

It’s a number we can use because they put it out there, and that was the starting point for all of this that’s befallen us since. This morning they revised their number of projected deaths to 60,000. That is a reduction of 90% from the 2.2 million number. But what else? Does the number 60,000 — 60,000 deaths — does that resonate with any of you? Does the number 60,000 mean anything to you?

Well, let me tell you what it is: 60,000 is the number of deaths due to the flu every year in this country. It’s between 30,000 and 60,000. So the very projections from the modelers who have given us our current circumstances, including the lockdown have now reduced their original projection of 2.2 million down to 60,000. That’s a reduction of 90%. Do you realize how worthless a model is you can input different data and get that wide a variance?

But this is what the government’s using. It’s a 90% reduction from the original 2.2 million. It’s their number. President Trump used it. Birx, Fauci, they all used it for a while, on purpose. It was to get everybody going on social distancing and mitigation. Now the latest projection today is 60,000 deaths, equal to the number of flu deaths. Hmm!

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RUSH: In fact, ladies and gentlemen, that 60,000 flu death number was 80,000 in 2018. It’s a 2018 article: 80,000 people died… It’s the 2017-2018 winter season; 80,000 people died from the flu. Now, before you all start getting on your high horse, I understand the difference in the flu and this thing. I understand that we’ve got vaccines for various strains of the flu and we’ve all, as a society, become accepting.

We accept — whatever it is, 30,000, 60,000, 80,000 — deaths from the flu every year. We expect it, and it’s just like the number of people we accept dying in automobile accidents. I understand that these projections on the coronavirus are based on everybody quarantining essentially, social distancing and all that because we don’t have treatment and we don’t have a vaccine and we don’t have widespread testing.

So I understand the difference. I’m just trying to make the point here that we start out with a number of 2.2 million to scare the hell out of everybody, and it’s used — and it’s used by the experts, the officials. They put it out there, and it’s from a model, Imperial College, if we do nothing. The corresponding number in the U.K. was 500,000 deaths if we do nothing. My point is that all along, the number was irrelevant.
We should have never used it because we never were gonna do nothing. We immediately instituted the lockdown, social distancing or whatever — “mitigation,” as the experts likes to say — and so that’s what the numbers began to become 100,000, 200,000, 240,000. So even if you throw out the 2.2 million and stick with anywhere from 100,000 to 240,000, now they’re down to 60,000, they’re gonna claim…

Remember, these are the doomsayers. They never lose. They are never wrong. They can always claim that what they “doom-said” is the reason we’ve had success. It’s the nature of doomsayers. So they are now saying that the projected number of deaths as of this morning is down to 60,000. Now, 60,000 people die from the flu every year, 30 to 60; sometimes worse.

It was worse with the swine flu — much worse — because there isn’t any mitigation. People just go ahead and live their lives. If they get it, they get it. If they do, they do — and if they don’t, they don’t. Some of them get it and perish and some don’t. We have not wanted to deal with coronavirus that way because there’s no treatment for it — well, other than hydroxychloroquine, which the left is still attempting to ban and banish and ridicule and impugn.

But there is no official test. They’re coming. There is certainly no vaccine. But I just find it fascinating that we’re now down to 60,000 deaths (with mitigation, I understand this), the same number of deaths, according to the flu.

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RUSH: Now in a story related to something I mentioned in the first half hour, and that is that many deaths that have nothing to do with and were not caused by COVID-19 are being chalked up to COVID-19.

Dr. Birx said it. It’s a key word here. “If someone dies with COVID-19, we are counting it as a COVID-19 death.” “With COVID-19” does not mean the same thing as “because of.” If you have coronary heart failure, if you have a heart attack, if you have renal failure, kidney failure, and you also have — if they find that you’ve got — COVID-19, to heck with your heart disease, to heck with your kidney disease, they’re chalking it up as a COVID-19 death.

So it may well be that the number of COVID-19 deaths isn’t as high as we’re being told. But it’s obvious there are people who want it to be reported as high because they think that’ll help them with their mitigation efforts, keeping people sequestered and socially distanced and all of that.

From the Daily Wire: “New York City Data: Vast Majority Who Have Died from Coronavirus Had Serious Underlying Conditions.” Now, again, I don’t want to be misunderstood. This in no way minimizes the suffering of these people who have succumbed to this, but it does confirm that the most vulnerable among us are those with compromised health before they acquire the virus. Here’s a pull quote:

“According to the most recent data from the [CDC], almost two-thirds (65.6%) of the people who have died after testing positive for coronavirus have been confirmed to have one of those specified underlying conditions,” diabetes, heart disease, obesity, kidney problems, liver problems, “while just 1.9% of the people who died after testing positive were confirmed to have ‘no underlying conditions.'”

Only 1.9% of the people that died in New York City were confirmed to have no underlying conditions. That’s huge! So people that have these underlying conditions obviously need to stay home. But we’re getting to the point, I would think, where we could begin to think about turning the rest of us loose — people that don’t have any underlying health conditions.

“The data shows that 1,623 of the 2,475 who have died after testing positive in the city had a serious preexisting condition…”

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RUSH: “Coronavirus Death Toll in U.S. Likely Worse than Numbers Say — Experts say the more than 10,000 deaths is an undercount, full picture unknown.” Even though the models — every one of the models used — are revising down, ABC News says, “Thousands of Americans have been lost to COVID-19. The U.S. death toll surpassed 10,000 this week…

“[T]hat figure belied a grim truth: the real number of deaths is higher, but no one knows how much. ‘There is no doubt the official death toll is an undercount,’ New York City Councilman Mark…” Why’s this guy an expert? “‘There is no doubt the official death toll is an undercount,’ New York City Councilman Mark Levine” said.

Who is this guy? I’ll tell you who he is. He’s a Trump-hating buffoon, who claimed that New York City has so many deaths from coronavirus they’re gonna start burying people in mass graves in parks, and that has not happened. He’s the same guy…

By the way, this guy, Mark Levine, is the same guy who told New Yorkers to go to Chinatown and enjoy the Chinese New Year parade! He said there’s nothing to fear here. Go to your parades, go down there. The CDC “is well aware that the figures — which keep going up — do not tell the full story. …

“‘It’s likely that COVID-19 related deaths may not be included on a death certificate or…'” (chuckles) Wrong. It’s the other way around. It’s practically every death happening in New York is being chalked up to COVID-19. Dr. Birx has said so. We had the audio sound bites earlier. They’re classifying everything as COVID-19.

If you die “with” COVID-19, you died “because” of it.

That is what they are saying.

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RUSH: here’s new numbers in for Virginia on the death toll from the model. This is the vaunted Washington state model, the famed now IMHE. The projections as of 10:15 this morning, the projections for deaths in Virginia dropped today to 891. These are projections. And the projection of people needing ICU beds, 319, and 272 ventilators. I could rephrase that and have it make more sense. The IMHE model projections for Virginia dropped today. They’re now predicting 891 dead, 319 beds needed in the ICU, and 272 ventilators.

One week ago — are you ready? One week ago this same model projected 3,000 deaths in Virginia. They projected 918 beds would be needed in the ICU, and they projected that Virginia would need 734 ventilators. So one week ago, 3,000 deaths, 918 beds, 734 ventilators. Today 891 deaths, not 3,000, 319 ICU beds, not 918, and 272 ventilators, not 734.

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RUSH: Here’s Dick in Atlanta. Hello, Dick. Great to have you, sir.

CALLER: Thank you for taking the call, Rush. I’ve been listening to you for about 30 years. You’re now the highlight of my day with all this stuff going on.

RUSH: Well, thank you, sir, very much. I sincerely appreciate that.

CALLER: And my name is Vick. Vick. But what I’m calling about —

RUSH: Oh, I’m sorry. It says “Dick” up there, and I read it.

CALLER: It happens all the time.

RUSH: So it’s Vick with a V, like in VapoRub.

CALLER: I’m calling about… This is something I’ve never heard discussed or mentioned with all their models. This started in January, probably, the coronavirus. I’m looking at the CDC estimates for flu deaths and what have you from October until March 28th, and it is saying we had 39 million to 55 million flu illnesses, 24,000 to 63,000 deaths. These are estimates.

RUSH: Mmm-hmm?

CALLER: My question — and I talked to a nurse. She’s been nurse for 10 or 15 years. She’s in New York. I asked her if people with the flu can get coronavirus. This is my only source, so somebody else would have to investigate it. She said, “Yeah; when they do, it’s devastating.” Now, my question underlying diseases, if we have a 24,000 to 63,000 estimate for deaths and they catch coronavirus, how many of these people are dying from flu?

How many are dying from coronavirus. Does anybody know? Are they…? I’m sure at this point, it’s counted as coronavirus — and also with their models, I kind of thought this a couple of weeks ago when I looked at this, that the death rate’s gonna start going down because flu season is over. Again, we had supposedly 35 million to 55 million people —

RUSH: Look, Vick, they’re going out of their way to tell you, “This is not the flu. Don’t compare it to the flu! It’s a waste of time to compare it to the flu,” ’cause they don’t want you to compare it to the flu.

CALLER: They’re not even giving this as an underlying condition, and what I’m seeing is somebody has the flu or they get ’em at the same time — the flu and the virus, coronavirus — they’re much more liable for death, it seems like.

RUSH: Right. It would stand to reason. The question is: How is the death categorized? Here, grab sound bite number two. We have the world’s foremost authority telling us the truth about this yesterday, Dr. Deborah Birx whose husband, by the way (Snerdley, do you know this?), worked for the Clintons. Her husband was advance man for the Clintons way back… (interruption)

You didn’t know that? (interruption) There is nobody in that town in the establishment that does not have an incestuous relationship with some Democrat administration. No. Anyway, here’s Dr. Birx during the briefing yesterday. A reporter said, “Can you talk about your concerns about deaths being misreported by coronavirus because of either testing or standards or how they’re characterized?”

BIRX: There are other countries that if you had a preexisting condition — and let’s say the virus caused you to go to the ICU and then have a heart or kidney problem — some countries are recording that as a heart issue or a kidney issue and not a COVID-19 death. Right now, we’re still recording at… I mean, the great thing about having forms that come in and a form that has the ability to mark it as COVID-19 infection… The intent is right now that those — if someone dies with COVID-19, we are counting that as a COVID-19 death.

RUSH: Okay, Vick, there’s your answer. No matter what, if they have COVID-19 when they die, that’s what it’s gonna be chalked up to, the cause death — and the keyword here is “with.” She says, “If someone dies with COVID-19…” That could mean you have a heart attack.

But you might have had a trace of virus. They’re not gonna call your death one due to cardiac arrest. They’re gonna chalk it up to COVID. She’s eager! She sounds excited to chalk as many deaths as possible up to COVID-19, is the way this sound to me.

CALLER: It does to me too. I’ve got a lot of questions I’d like to ask you about, but I won’t go into that. It’s too mysterious the way things have —

RUSH: Why not? Just ask me one of ’em.

CALLER: Well —

RUSH: Take advantage of your opportunity here.

CALLER: Okay. You got it.

RUSH: You may never get through again.

CALLER: I’m retired. I retired eight months ago, and I’ve been listening to this nonsense with impeachment this, impeachment that, collusion for 3-1/2 years. Last year I decided that, you know, I had a 401(k). I wanted to get it out because they’re gonna find a way to crash the stock market, and I took it out. I retired in August. I came along again listening to the last impeachment thing, and Nancy Pelosi… There was speculation on this that the House ended in December, she had her papers, and she decided not to march ’em over until January.

RUSH: Right. What’s the question, Vick?

CALLER: The question is… This is just things that I’ve noted, and they didn’t get there ’til January. And it’s taken up the entire month, and I never noticed coronavirus myself until February after the impeachment trial was over and the whole country shut down.

RUSH: Oh, the coronavirus. Vick, the coronavirus was out there. Coronavirus was out there in December. We were being warned about it from Wuhan doctors — who now, can’t be found. We were being warned about it in January. Trump canceled flights from China in January. We knew about the Wuhan virus. Pelosi didn’t. She was, as you say, totally focused on impeachment. Vick, I just have one quick question. You say you retired. On what are you living right now?

CALLER: We have 401(k)s and Social Security.

RUSH: Okay. All right. Just checking. Making sure you’re okay.

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RUSH: You know what other big cause of death is way, way down? Pneumonia. Pneumonia deaths are way down. And that’s one of the things this virus supposedly replicates. It affects lungs like pneumonia. You know, pneumonia is a lung infection. A lot of people think pneumonia is fluid in the lungs. It’s not true. It’s an infection of the lungs. And the coronavirus causes something similar.

But the death rates for pneumonia are way down ’cause everything is being chalked up to COVID-19. They want the number of deaths up there. That’s the only way they can justify what the hell limits they’re putting on everybody here.