Coronavirus U.S. death toll, currently at 80,000, is likely undercounted, Dr. Anthony Fauci says

https://www.masslive.com/coronavirus/2020/05/coronavirus-us-death-toll-currently-at-80000-is-likely-undercounted-dr-anthony-fauci-says.html

The number of Americans who’ve died from coronavirus is “likely higher” than the 80,000-plus already observed, Dr. Anthony Fauci told lawmakers on Tuesday.

Fauci made the statement during a Senate committee hearing in response to a question from Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who noted there were “some epidemiologists who suggest the number may be 50% higher than that.”

“I’m not sure it’s going to be 50% higher, but most of us feel the number of deaths is likely higher,” Fauci said.

Fauci noted that in some hotspots for the virus such as New York City, “there may have been people who died at home who did have COVID-19 who were not counted as COVID-19 deaths.”

The Cornell Alliance for Science last month described the notion that COVID-19 deaths are inflated as a “top ten” conspiracy theory surrounding the disease. USA Today reported that while recent legislation in response to the pandemic allows hospitals to receive higher Medicare rates for COVID-19 patients and treatment, there was no evidence of fraudulent reporting of cases.

On April 9, when about 16,000 had reportedly died from COVID-19, Fauci said the death toll at the time was likely an undercount, The Washington Post reported.