COVID-19 Has Killed More Than Ten Thousand People
The Claim
According to the CDC’s own data, COVID-19 has killed fewer than ten thousand people.
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Emerging story
In late August and early September 2020, social media users began sharing the claim, claiming that we’ve been “scammed.”
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar has already debunked a similar claim stating that “only 6%” of deaths reported as being linked to COVID-19 were actually from the disease.
The CDC’s website does state that COVID-19 is the cause of death for relatively few people. However, Misbar’s investigation found that the viral claim is a simple case of ignorance gone viral. Social media users may be assuming that the CDC would just list COVID-19 deaths as COVID-19 deaths. However, this is not the case. This is due to the way viruses hurt their hosts.
When someone dies from COVID-19, they are actually dying from symptoms associated with the virus. This is because it infects and wreaks havoc on the body. The host can die from numerous causes, as the virus doesn’t try to directly kill its host. Pre-existing conditions are also relevant, as it makes the host more susceptible to severe symptoms.
Instead, the virus damages various organs within the body, especially the respiratory system. Due to the myriad of ways COVID-19 can kill people, doctors are more likely to list the exact cause of death. This helps people understand how the virus can kill people, so they can figure out how to treat it. It is more accurate to refer to the causes of death caused by the virus as “COVID-19 related.”
