H5N1 avian influenza had 48 deaths globally (2015-2019), mostly in Egypt, suggesting impaired COVID surveillance didn't impact its rarity; it remains a rare disease with no human-to-human transmission.
Updated WHO Bird Flu cases and deaths, 1/1/2015-12/13/2024 by year and nation From 1/1/2020 to 12/13/2024 there were cumulatively 9 reported HUMAN deaths worldwide Thu, 02 Jan 2025 15:47:20 GMT https://merylnass.substack.com/p/updated-who-bird-flu-cases-and-deaths https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/wpro---documents/emergency/surveillance/avian-influenza/ai_20241213.pdf
And here are the cases and deaths for the 5 years prior to the COVID years, 2015-2019: 48 deaths worldwide over 5 years, 43 of which occurred in Egypt, 3 in Indonesia and one each in China and Nepal. My point is that the possible impaired surveillance during COVID probably had little to nothing to do with the rarity of cases. This is an extraordinarily rare disease that has never spread person to person, and is unlikely to do so without lab interference.