That’s an interesting question. Officially the answer is “no”, but what if someone with AIDS contracts COVID-19 and dies? Does that person count toward both statistics? How many statistics can one death count towards?
Now try “diabetes and hypertension”, or “lung cancer”, or “temporary immunodeficiency” and you can start to see how dishonest it is to represent the death toll of this disease as a single number, based on an interpretation that generates the largest possible number, and an interpretation not used with any other respiratory disease.
Now try “diabetes and hypertension”, or “lung cancer”, or “temporary immunodeficiency” and you can start to see how dishonest it is to represent the death toll of this disease as a single number, based on an interpretation that generates the largest possible number, and an interpretation not used with any other respiratory disease.