Trump is Not Forcing Hospitals to Stop Sending COVID-19 Data
The Claim
U.S. President Donald Trump is forcing hospitals to stop sending in COVID-19 data to skew numbers in an attempt to make the United States look better on a global scale.
News posted on
Emerging story
The claim began to be circulated across social media platforms in mid-July 2020. Posts say: “DONALD TRUMP IS FORCING HOSPITALS TO STOP SENDING IN COVID-19 DATA TO SKEW THE NUMBERS IN AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE HIM AND THE UNITED STATES LOOK BETTER ON A GLOBAL SCALE WITHOUT A SHRED OF CARE FOR HUMAN LIFE.”
Misbarβs Analysis
Misbar’s investigation found that this claim started with a kernel of truth. Multiple mainstream news sources across the political spectrum, including CNN and Fox News, reported that Trump asked hospitals to stop sending COVID-19 data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, the Trump administration never asked that information stopped being sent altogether. Rather, it requested that, instead of being sent to the CDC, the information be sent to the Department of Health and Human Services. The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the new policy in guidance it published on July 10, 2020.
