MaskMath
This table shows a basic cost breakdown of COVID-19 compared to some other debated or regulated causes of death.
Annualized deaths are based on June 2021 numbers. This is the trough of flu season and before the Delta variant has taken hold. It probably will not get better than this for the next 8 months.
$10,000,000 is roughly the legal value of a wrongful death in the United States.
QALY stands for Quality Adjusted Life Year - this is a measure of the number of quality years a person has left relative to a randomly selected person. The QALY adjuster for COVID-19 is low because it mostly kills old people. The QALY adjuster for Swimming Pools is high, because swimming pools mostly kill children.
| Name | Region | Region Population | Annualized Deaths | Life Value | QALY Adjuster | Annual Cost | Annual Per Capita Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COVID-19 | Arizona | 7,520,000 | 4,018 | $10,000,000 | 0.33 | $13.26b | $1,763 |
| Suicide | United States | 332,000,000 | 48,334 | $10,000,000 | 1.2 | $580.0b | $1,746 |
| COVID-19 | United States | 332,000,000 | 127,838 | $10,000,000 | 0.33 | $421.87b | $1,271 |
| Auto Accidents | United States | 332,000,000 | 37,000 | $10,000,000 | 1.0 | $370.0b | $1,114 |
| Gun Non-Suicide | United States | 332,000,000 | 13,958 | $10,000,000 | 1.2 | $167.50b | $504 |
| Swimming Pools | United States | 332,000,000 | 4,000 | $10,000,000 | 1.5 | $60.0b | $181 |
Core Stats
Value of a US life: $10MM (source)
US Population: 332MM
US Suicide
Annual US Suicides: 48,334 (2018)
Annual US Suicide Cost: $480b
Annual US Suicide Cost Per Capita: $1,446
US Cars
Annual US Car Deaths: 37,000
Annual US Car Death Cost: $370b
Annual US Car Death Cost Per Capita: $1,114
US Guns
Annual US Gun Non-Suicides: 13,958 (homicide, accident, police, undetermined)
Annual US Gun Non-Suicide Cost: $140b
Annual US Gun Non-Suicide Cost Per Capita: $422
US Swimming Pools
Annual US Drownings: 4,000 (mostly swimming pools)
Annual US Swimming Pool Death Cost: $40b
Annual US Swimming Pool Death Cost Per Capita: $120
US Masks
Annualized US COVID Deaths: 127,838 (June 2021, trough of flu season, Delta variant not dominant yet)
Annualized US COVID Death Cost: $1,278b
Annual US COVID Death Cost Per Capita: $3,855
AZ Masks
AZ COVID Deaths Per Day: 11 (June 2021, trough of flu season, Delta variant not dominant yet)
Annualized AZ COVID Deaths: 4,018 (June 2021, trough of flu season, Delta variant not dominant yet)
Annualized AZ cost of COVID Deaths: $40b
AZ Population: 7,520,103
Annualized AZ COVID Death Cost Per Capita: $5,319
AZ Benevolent Individual Cost: $6,915
If you live in Arizona, and you are choosing not to wear a mask in the grocery store or inside the gas station, to fit in the "benevolent" category, you need to show that the burden of wearing a mask, to you, is greater than $6,915 per year.
And I don't give any special dispensation for being rich, so if you make a lot of money, you need to go find some average people and show that their burden is greater than $6,915 per year.