Dr. Anthony Fauci: US coronavirus death toll is “almost certainly” higher than reported
Published
Citation From May 12, 2020, U.S. Senate testimony:
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): The official statistic, Dr. Fauci, is that 80,000 Americans have died from the pandemic. There are some epidemiologists who suggest the number may be 50% higher than that. What do you think?
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI (DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES): I'm not sure, Sen. Sanders, if it's going to be 50% higher, but most of us feel that the number of deaths are likely higher than that number. Because given the situation particularly in New York City, when they were really strapped with the very serious challenge to their health care system, that there may have been people who died at home who did have COVID who are not counted as COVID because they never really got to the hospital. So in direct answer to your question, I think you are correct that the number is likely higher. I don't know exactly what percent higher, but almost certainly it's higher.