Hey, @bashadow.
Yeah. The cause of death deal has been misleading if not intentional deception from the beginning. I can see where it might be difficult to pinpoint exactly what caused a death if there are multiple issues. A person might die in a car accident, but the cause of death would be a heart attack or something like that.
It is interesting to note, though, that a vast majority of COVID-19 deaths have some number of underlying conditions. So, would have those folks died without the underlying issues? The answer could still be yes, but potentially to a far lesser degree, as evidenced by the relatively small number that may not have had any underlying conditions. As you say, though, that number can't be found. I'd have to go through all of Oregon's COVID-19 related deaths in their daily reports on the OHA website to figure that one out, and that would just be for one state in one country.
Regardless, the mortality rate in the U.S. would be far less if the underlying conditions were not present.
re: masks
The DanMask study that I refer to basically says that the infection rate with a mask, if worn properly is 1.8% vs. 2.1% if no mask is worn at all.
re: pandemic
They get to throw the term around because it exists in more than one country and because there is a fairly large number of total cases. However, I agree, it doesn't compare to the Black Death that wiped out 250 million people in Europe before it was through, mainly because living conditions and medical science are significantly more advanced from the Middle Ages. It would have to be far more virulent than it has been so far.