Covid death toll in US likely 16% higher than official tally, study says
GuardianFEB 2024
Study: US COVID Deaths Likely 16% Higher Than Official Records
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The Spin
Narrative A
This data finally shows the reason behind the mysterious uptick in excess deaths during the pandemic — which turns out not to be that mysterious at all. From government officials down to their constituents, many Americans declined to or were encouraged not to count family deaths due to political reasons. Instead, they pointed to things like drug overdoses as the reason for rising excess fatalities. In reality, public health bodies were insufficient in their counting and thus trivialized the dangers of COVID's lethality.
Narrative B
The nation's experts who claimed COVID deaths were skyrocketing for three years eventually backtracked, admitting that they were overcounting by 70%. Even the strongest proponents of the original COVID excess death theory, including national public health officials and reporters, have now admitted that those who died "with" COVID were lumped in with those who died "from" it. This context is essential.