Public Health Rising COVID-19 Related Death Toll Dampens New Year’s Outlook Although official figures appear to understate the reality of COVID on the ground in a big way, media coverage and social media posts tell another story. Per Bloomberg news, as well as the day-to-day experiences of this column’s co-author, funeral homes in major cities have been overwhelmed since mid-December. Families have been given roughly 5 to 10 minutes to mourn their deceased loved ones, while some people are reportedly selling their places in line as queues at some facilities have become quite lengthy.   Meanwhile, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, through the end of December the trailing seven-day average for ne...