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CDC data does not show that 99% of COVID-19 deaths were due to other causes
By Melissa Goldin Published 4:38 AM GMT+8, August 31, 2023
CLAIM: Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that 99% of deaths attributed to COVID-19 were actually caused by something else.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The percentage misrepresents CDC data. The agency’s most recent numbers show that for the week ending Aug. 19, 1.7% of all deaths in the U.S. were due to COVID-19.
THE FACTS: A misrepresentation of CDC figures has led to accusations online that COVID-19 deaths are being overstated.
Many online posts cite as proof a Daily Mail article published on Tuesday with the headline, “99% of ‘Covid deaths’ not primarily caused by the virus, CDC data shows.” These posts received tens of thousands of likes and shares on Facebook, Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter.
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According to the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker, 324 people in the U.S. died of COVID-19 during the week ending Aug. 19, which is just 1.7% of all deaths in the country during that time period. The tracker explains that this percentage was calculated by dividing the number of COVID-19 deaths by the number of deaths from all causes, and multiplying the result by 100.
A correction added to the Daily Mail article notes that “an earlier version of this article claimed 99 percent of Covid deaths in the past week were not primarily caused by the virus.” It then describes how the actual data was calculated and states that the article has been amended to reflect this. The headline of the article was also updated to read: “Covid to blame for just 1% of weekly deaths from all causes across the US, CDC data shows.”
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Since Jan. 5, 2020, approximately 1.4 million people in the U.S. have died of COVID-19, according to the CDC’s most recent data. Hospital admissions for the virus have risen steadily since early July, but they are much lower than past peaks. Current weekly death rates are also significantly lower than when they peaked at 25,974 during the week ending Jan. 9, 2021, accounting for 29.9% of all deaths in the U.S.
https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-covid-deaths-99-percent-cdc-data-828332813362
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