Of course not, but we all shrug at the many thousands of deaths related to respiratory illness that occur among the geriatric and the morbidly obese every year, not the mention the millions of Americans who die each year from various other causes. This wasn't some printing error where the New York Times accidentally printed its obituaries on the front page, and its editors don't believe these people are particularly worthy of being memorialized. The New York Times is making a statement about the size and scope of the disease, and attempting to make an emotional appeal, and it is that statement to which the original poster is responding.
If I were more cynical, I'd say that certain journalistic outlets have a business model built on war coverage and commentary. Since they haven't been gifted one in recent years they've used this illness to fill in. This front page is a cliche; the type of depression poetry one writes in middle school, and its purpose is to draw out an emotional response in you and limit serious debate. It's the journalistic equivalent of selling an all-white canvas. I have no doubt it will win a Pulitzer.
