Not OP, but the answer to your question is that the CDC is intentionally skewing their analysis. January in all non-2020 years has a much higher weekly death count due to flu season. And 2020 is a strange year because we didn't hit a huge flu death peak in January.
By leaving January out, they can make the death counts for other years look lower while focusing on the worst part of 2020 which peaks in April.
I've spent enough time looking at infuriatingly obtuse CDC data presentations to know that they're making things hard to understand on purpose.
Not OP, but the answer to your question is that the CDC is intentionally skewing their analysis. January in all non-2020 years has a much higher weekly death count due to flu season. And 2020 is a strange year because we didn't hit a huge flu death peak in January.
By leaving January out, they can make the death counts for other years look lower while focusing on the worst part of 2020 which peaks in April.
I've spent enough time looking at infuriatingly obtuse CDC data presentations to know that they're making things hard to understand on purpose.