White House Questioning If Deaths Are Being Overcounted Despite Broad Consensus That Opposite Is True
Experts have been saying since the beginning of the crisis that deaths are being undercounted because of a lack of testing, and analyses of year-over-year deaths also indicate that thousands aren't being included in the official COVID-19 fatality totals. But President Donald Trump and his advisers are starting to sow doubts about the numbers. Meanwhile, the official U.S. death toll stands at more than 84,000.
CNN:
Trump Privately Questions Whether Coronavirus Deaths Are Being Overcounted As Fauci Projects The Opposite
Questions about the US coronavirus death count have taken hold inside the White House, officials familiar with the matter say, as President Donald Trump and his aides discuss whether figures used by administration to determine mortality rates and death projections are reliable indicators for plotting a path forward. As nationwide case numbers show a steady decrease, Trump and some of his aides have begun questioning whether deaths are being over-counted, according to people familiar with the matter, even as the President publicly attests to the accuracy of the numbers. The top medical expert on the White House's coronavirus task force, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has said the opposite could be true: that coronavirus deaths are being undercounted as people die at home without going to hospital. (Liptak and Acosta, 5/13)
NPR:
Fauci Says U.S. Death Toll Is Likely Higher. Other COVID-19 Stats Need Adjusting, Too
The U.S. has the most coronavirus deaths of any country in the world — on May 11, the death toll passed 80,000.And that's likely an undercount. "Almost certainly it's higher," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, at a virtual Senate hearing on Tuesday. "There may have been people who died at home who were not counted as COVID because they never really got to the hospital." (Huang, 5/13)
Kaiser Health News and Politifact HealthCheck:
Trump’s Comparison Of COVID-19 Death Rates In Germany, US Is Wrong
Following weeks of criticism over his administration’s COVID-19 response, President Donald Trump pulled out new statistics to claim the nation is actually among the best in the world in fighting the lethal coronavirus. “Germany and the United States are the two best in deaths per 100,000 people, which, frankly, to me, that’s perhaps the most important number there is,” Trump said at a May 11 Rose Garden press briefing. (Luthra, 5/14)
The Wall Street Journal:
Global Coronavirus Death Toll Nears 300,000, As U.S. States Further Ease Restrictions
The global death toll from the coronavirus pandemic neared 300,000 as more U.S. states prepared to further ease restrictions and some Asian countries rolled out massive testing initiatives to contain resurgent clusters of infections. Total cases world-wide topped 4.35 million, nearly a third in the U.S., according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. death toll stands at more than 84,000. (Hua, 5/14)
Politico:
Cuomo, De Blasio Can't Agree On How Many New Yorkers Have Died From Coronavirus
New York City hit a grim milestone this week, recording more than 20,000 coronavirus deaths throughout the five boroughs. Or did it? According to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office, the city is still weeks away from that mark, with thousands fewer deaths in its tally — and public health experts say the state's lag is a problem. (Durkin, 5/14)
