Fact check: How many people died from covid in the us

1. Summary of the results

The number of COVID-19 deaths in the US is estimated to be around 649,411 excess deaths from March 2020 to February 2021, with 82.9% of these attributed directly to COVID-19 ^[1]. However, other sources report higher numbers, such as 895,693 excess deaths associated with COVID-19 between January 2020 and September 2021 ^[2], and 1.07 million deaths from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) recorded in the US through December 2022 ^[3]. The CDC provides an overview of COVID-19 data and trends, but does not provide a specific estimate of COVID-19 deaths in the US ^[4]. The WHO COVID-19 dashboard also provides data on COVID-19 deaths, but does not provide a specific estimate of COVID-19 deaths in the US ^[5]. The death rate was highest among males, older adults, and non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native populations ^[6]. Additionally, patients with underlying health conditions had a 4 times higher risk of death than those without underlying diseases ^[7]. The pandemic led to at least 1.4 million additional deaths in the US and produced a decline in the number of births in 2020 ^[8]. The pandemic exacerbated existing health disparities, leading to disproportionately high mortality among certain populations ^[9].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

• The original statement does not provide context on the time frame of the COVID-19 deaths, which is crucial in understanding the estimates provided by different sources ^{[1] [2] [3]}.
• The analyses highlight the importance of considering excess deaths and underlying health conditions when estimating COVID-19 deaths ^{[2] [7]}.
• The impact of the pandemic on different populations, such as non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native populations, is also an important consideration ^[6].
• The long-term effects of the pandemic on the US population structure are also a crucial aspect to consider ^[3].
• Alternative viewpoints, such as the economic impact of the pandemic, are not considered in the original statement ^[8].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement may be misleading as it does not provide a specific time frame for the COVID-19 deaths, which can lead to confusion when comparing estimates from different sources ^{[1] [2] [3]}. The statement may also be biased towards reporting only the number of COVID-19 deaths, without considering the broader impact of the pandemic on the US population, such as the decline in births and the exacerbation of existing health disparities ^{[8] [9]}. The sources that benefit from this framing are those that focus solely on the number of COVID-19 deaths, without considering the broader context of the pandemic ^{[1] [2]}. On the other hand, sources that provide a more comprehensive overview of the pandemic's impact, such as the CDC and the WHO, may be underrepresented in the original statement ^{[4] [5]}.