TOPLINE
A number of confirmed deaths in the US from Covid-19 is significantly less than the actual number of deaths, according to several recent studies, and according to health experts, “the fear of seeking care in hospitals overwhelmed by pandemic may have caused thousands of deaths. “
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 30: Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and … [+]
KEY FACTS
According to the CDC, more than 2.6 million Americans have been infected with the virus, which has resulted in at least 128,000 deaths.
A study published Wednesday by Yale University researchers found that the number of deaths from any cause in the US from March 1 to May 30 was approximately 122,300 higher than in the same period last year. , which is 28% higher than the reported number of Covid-19 deaths.
“Our analyzes suggest that the official death count from Covid-19 represents a substantial count of the actual burden,” said Dan Weinberger, an epidemiologist at the Yale School of Public Health and the study’s lead author.
A 57-page research paper by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology states that the actual number of coronavirus cases worldwide is almost 12 times higher than officially reported, with approximately 50% more deaths.
According to an analysis of federal data by The Washington Post“Many patients with serious conditions died as a result of delaying or not seeking medical attention as the outbreak progressed and flooded some hospitals.”
A Virginia Commonwealth University study released Wednesday shows that deaths from non-Covid-19 causes rose sharply in states that saw the highest number of coronavirus deaths in March and April, including a staggering increase in the death rate. from heart disease of 398% and an increase in the death rate from diabetes of 356% in new york.
Key Background:
The count of coronavirus deaths is a topic of concern to health officials since the start of the pandemic. When the government’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, was testifying before the Senate in early May, Senator Bernie Sanders asked him, “The official statistic is that 80,000 Americans have died from the pandemic. There is some epidemiologists suggesting that the number may be 50 percent higher than that. How about that? “Fauci replied,” I’m not sure, Senator Sanders, if it’s going to be 50 percent higher, but most of we believe that the number of deaths is probably greater than that number. ” Fauci added, “There may be people who died at home who had Covid, who do not count as Covid because they never really got to the hospital … I don’t know exactly what percentage is higher, but almost certainly it is higher.”
Main critics:
Several prominent Republicans have recently downplayed the analysis and guidance of scientists, researchers, and health experts like Dr. Fauci. Congressman Andy Biggs, a Republican from Arizona, has called for the White House Covid-19 task force to be dissolved so that “President Trump’s message is not mitigated or distorted.” In a statement released Thursday, Biggs argues that it is “imperative” that the president “not be harmed in his mission to return our economy to greatness.” At a Senate hearing earlier this week, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky aggressively questioned the guidance of federal health experts. “We should not assume that a group of experts somehow knows what is best for everyone,” said Paul.
Critical quote:
“By alerting the public early and reducing contacts, extensive testing when the pandemic was declared could have prevented 35.3 million cases and 197,000 deaths. However, future results are less dependent on testing and more dependent on the will of the communities. and governments to reduce transmission, “said MIT researchers.
Further reading:
Republican congressman calls for dissolution of coronavirus task force to ensure Trump ‘is not undermined’ (Forbes)
According to the Yale (CNBC) study, the official number of deaths from coronavirus in the US is “a substantial count” of the actual count
The COVID-19 pandemic caused an 18 percent increase in deaths of Americans: study (Fox News)
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