Trump Says Death Toll Lower Than Reported But Data Shows Opposite: Covid Deaths Are Being Undercounted

Trump Says Death Toll Lower Than Reported But Data Shows Opposite: Covid Deaths Are Being Undercounted

Axios is reporting that Trump and some top aides have been questioning the accuracy of the coronavirus death toll, believing the real number is lower than is being reported:

• “President Trump has complained to advisers about the way coronavirus deaths are being calculated, suggesting the real numbers are actually lower — and a number of his senior aides share this view, according to sources with direct knowledge.” [Axios, 5/6/20]
• “What’s next: A senior administration official said he expects the president to begin publicly questioning the death toll as it closes in on his predictions for the final death count and damages him politically.” [Axios, 5/6/20]

The reality is that experts believe coronavirus deaths in the U.S. are being undercounted:

• Washington Post: Excess U.S. Deaths Hit Estimated 37,100 In Pandemic’s Early Days, Far More Than Previously Known
  
• • • “The United States recorded an estimated 37,100 excess deaths as the novel coronavirus spread across the country in March and the first two weeks of April, nearly 13,500 more than are now attributed to covid-19 for that same period, according to an analysis of federal data conducted for The Washington Post by a research team led by the Yale School of Public Health. The Yale team’s analysis suggests that the number of excess deaths accelerated as the pandemic took hold.” [Washington Post, 5/2/20]
      
• New York Times: U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Is Far Higher Than Reported, C.D.C. Data Suggests
• ProPublica: There’s Been a Spike in People Dying at Home in Several Cities. That Suggests Coronavirus Deaths Are Higher Than Reported.
• Raleigh News & Observer: NC’s Covid-19 Death Counts May Give An Incomplete Picture Of The Virus’ Toll