I WAS interested to read the letter titled “What’s the point?” from my namesake, Eric Waters, in the Argus edition of Friday June 20.

I agree with him that comparing deaths from Covid-19 by different localities within Brighton and Hove is potentially problematic.

Statistics are more accurate with bigger samples.

There are also differences in recording methods used from one country to another, making it hard to compare different nations.

I suppose, he says cynically, it’s even possible that countries may exploit this to downplay their poor management of this crisis.

Which is why I liked the research by the BBC, published on their news website on June 18 under the banner “Coronavirus: What is the true death toll of the pandemic?”.

Almost all countries keep records of deaths year on year, so a graph will show average or expected death rate over time.

In the UK we see a higher seasonal death rate in winter when there is more influenza about, for example.

By this method, the study shows the excess death rate above what would be expected in an average year if we had no Covid-19.

I’d also agree with Eric that not all those deaths can be directly attributed to Covid-19 infection.

But it’s not unreasonable to say that the pandemic is the big external factor that causes the change.

Anecdotally I read of a child who died of leukaemia (not in this country) because the hospital was shut down due to Covid-19.

So that death is indirectly due to the coronavirus.

I was fascinated to read that South Africa has seen a decrease in seasonal death rate during the crisis.

Very strict lockdown and a ban on alcohol has resulted in a big drop in fatal road accidents and homicides.

We need to be objective and dispassionate about statistics; if we don’t collect the numbers and publish them, we can’t learn, plan and do better.

So let’s use them and make changes, rather than ignoring them as appears to have been the case in UK.

Steve Waters Saltdean