This False COVID-19 Statistic is Everywhere, and It’s Disrespectful
How social media is trying to turn the coronavirus into a hoax
Social media can be wonderful for communication, but it’s also a breeding ground for false information. This has become especially evident in the current political climate, as everyone has an opinion, and the opinions are strong on both sides. With sharing information being as easy as hitting repost or retweet, false information can spread to thousands in the time it takes to make a sandwich or walk to get the mail.
One statistic that has recently fell into the trap of being falsely circulated to the masses involves the CDC. The CDC has already fell into heavy controversy for its recent amendments involving COVID-19, specifically with the change in recommendation of asymptomatic patients and testing. The questionable amendment suggested,
“If you have been in close contact (within 6 feet) of a person with a COVID-19 infection for at least 15 minutes but do not have symptoms, you do not necessarily need a test unless you are a vulnerable individual or your health care provider or State or local public health officials recommend you take one.”
This is important framework for the false statistic going around because it allowed the CDC to be characterized as “untrustworthy” or “wishy-washy.” It also portrayed the coronavirus as “less dangerous” with the suggestion to limit testing.
Soon after the amendment cited above, I began to see waves of discussion of the CDC, specifically with the claim that only “6% of the total number of people with coronavirus on their death certificate actually died from the virus.” Most of the reshared information I saw claimed that the CDC quietly edited this information on their website.
This is problematic because it never happened. At least not in the way people are suggesting.
I can’t tell you how many thousands of reshares I saw on variations of this statistic, including Candace Owens, a controversial but influential Conservative commentator that tweeted on this, stating the inverse of the 6%. She claimed that “94% of all coronavirus deaths were supplementary,” and “#Coronavirus is and always has been a hoax.” I cite her only as an example of how fast twisted, incorrect info can spread. Her tweet currently has over 90,000 likes and over 37,000 retweets. It’s not that 94% didn’t die with comorbidities. It’s the conclusion that is drawn from that. Let’s get into what I mean.
Why Is This False?
As many others state, including Candace Owens cited above, the CDC has updated data that breaks down the deaths of those who had COVID-19, including a category for those that died of COVID-19 with no other known conditions. This is where people are getting the 6%. You can see the chart here. They clearly state,
“For 6% of the deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned. For deaths with conditions or causes in addition to COVID-19, on average, there were 2.6 additional conditions or causes per death.”
What the falsely circulated statistic fails to acknowledge is that having COVID-19 and a supplementary condition at the time of death doesn’t mean a person didn’t die of COVID-19. It has been said from the beginning that the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions are most at risk. It should come to no surprise that 94% of US deaths from COVID-19 were people who had COVID-19 and one or more other underlying issues. These conditions listed are vast, and include common issues like obesity, diabetes, or Alzheimer’s.
This is to say that someone who had diabetes and COVID-19 would be included in the “94% statistic” cited by Owens, but it does not mean COVID-19 was a “supplementary” part of their death. It is problematic to promote that the person with diabetes and COVID-19 didn’t die of COVID-19. Many of the comorbidities of patients are pre-existing, but many could also be caused by COVID-19 and counted as comorbidities at the time of death. This still doesn’t mean that only 6% died of COVID. It’s quite the opposite.
Circulating a statistic that undermines the number of COVID-19 deaths is not only counter-productive in fighting the virus (as people will be encouraged to take it less seriously), it’s outright disrespectful. It’s disrespectful to the other 94% of lives lost to this terrible virus. I’m not saying that none of the COVID-19 deaths were reported inaccurately. I’m sure there are cases where the person would have died with or without COVID-19. There is always room for human error, but it doesn’t mean the CDC changed statistics and revealed the virus as a hoax. Far from it.
Closing Thoughts
The only thing people should be reading into with the circulating CDC statistic is that the original assumptions about the virus are accurate thus far: the elderly and those with preexisting conditions are most at risk.
If you see someone reposting, retweeting, or defending the false statistic citing “only 6% of the original reported death toll died of COVID-19,” or some variation of this, please reach out to them and educate. Don’t let anyone disrespect the deaths of those who died prematurely because of COVID-19. Let’s not weaponize them as fuel to project COVID-19 as a hoax. I’m sure their families and loved ones would love to tell those spreading the false statistics differently.
