Today, Explained 100,000 is an undercount
May 28, 2020
Matthew Yglesias, co-host at Vox, dives into the troubling undercounting of COVID-19 deaths during the Trump administration. He discusses the emotional toll on families and the significant discrepancies in reported death counts across the U.S. The conversation highlights the complex death certification process and sheds light on the impact of misinformation on public perception and policy. Yglesias emphasizes the importance of accurate death counts to truly understand the pandemic's devastating effects.
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Bob Duffy's Uncounted Death
- Bob Duffy, a retired firefighter with pre-existing conditions, fell seriously ill.
- His death, likely caused by COVID-19 contact, wasn't recorded as such due to lack of testing and hospital visit.
COVID-19 Death Undercount
- The U.S. surpassed 100,000 COVID-19 deaths, but experts believe this is an undercount.
- The actual number is likely higher, with some estimating 15-40% more.
Undercounting Issues
- COVID-19 death undercounting is due to bureaucratic processes around death certificates.
- Deaths are more accurately counted within hospitals, while outside cases, with no prior tests or diagnosis, tend to go uncounted.