I don't think they are any more persistent than anyone else. However, in answer to your question?
Because it's ruining the global economy, causing unnecessary fear/panic, and will result in far more deaths than COVID itself. Those deaths come from homelessness, malnutrition, lack of care to other deadly disease that could have been avoided, etc..
A few major studies show us that globally we may kill 2 people for every 1 supposedly saved from lockdowns and various other measures. That's why. Because it's not worth all this when it's just a cold.
They ARE exaggerated. Yes they are probably undercounted in some cases but the overcount outpaces the undercount by a nontrivial multiple.
The CDC guidelines were to use "best guess" judgement as to cause of death for a cpl/few months while we didn't have tests readily available. Many of those people never received any form of PCR assay. That's insane. It would cause MASSIVE overcounting for one.
We now have over 300+ global, independent, studies that show the infected number is likely upwards of 700-800Mn people at this point. That's a good thing too! That means the *true* death rate is absurdly low. Absurdly low. So absurdly low that any serious worry about it, any extended talk of it on TV all day long, any "actions/sanctions" to prevent spread, are totally and utterly ridiculous. It's every bit as ridiculous as trying to *stop* the flu from spreading or infecting people.
Look, there is no question the virus is *real*. Obviously it is and it has impacted families or friends. I doubt it's anywhere near the number reported b/c most of those were people who would have died anyway. We know that ~98% of deaths in NYC were over 80yrs and had minimum of 1 potentially fatal comorbidity (on average).
As knotty has said, there is a huge diff in dying with COVID vs dying of/from COVID. This is THE primary issue in media and among the public; not understanding the difference and that this has been so overblown by some rather asinine professionals who made some unbelievable errors early on. The docs & scientists who originally caused this mess have a lot at stake so they will fight to their grave to defend it until they can't anymore (which btw is coming quickly).
Regardless of what anyone thinks I truly do feel for those impacted by the sickness. I also feel for those impacted by heart disease, copd, emphysema, flu, pneumonia, cancer, TB, etc etc etc. I do. The problem is that we have "broken" our world over something that truly does amount to less than the common flu and we don't even bat an eye at the 9.5K daily skin cancer diagnoses. Yet we have freaked out the general populace over a cold that ultimately is 10 times less lethal than the common seasonal flu. It's sad.
Masks are fine if people want to wear them. Being cautious is fine if you really want to. However, the shutting everything down and causing 30MN job losses, entire industries wiped out for good (some of them), people's entire lives gone in the blink of an eye (?!?), and likely 5 to 10 times as many deaths as will ever be claimed by "covid" as a result of all manner of economic issues, health conditions that go unchecked, malnutrition, suicides, etc... is not at all okay. All over a damn cold?? :nono: That's really sad. :sad: