Distortion of Coronavirus Data in the US: Florida Deaths Due to Gun Violence Included in COVID-19 Statistics

The facts alarmed even Florida’s governor.

The American mass media have repeatedly accused Russia of distorting its COVID-19 death statistics. It was believed that the actual mortality rate is much different from the number that is reported. However, the U.S. is also guilty of manipulating its COVID-19 statistics, and not merely with statements attributed to anonymous sources.

American reporters with CBS12 received an official spreadsheet with the names of 581 people “who had died from COVID-19 in Orange County, FL (population: 2 million).”

After investigating this number, CBS12 reported that eight of the deceased on the spreadsheet did not have COVID-19 listed as their cause of death. Of course, this can be blamed on the carelessness of those who compiled the spreadsheet. In fact, this is exactly the excuse that local Orange County doctors used, when reporters shared their findings. However, COVID-19 is listed as the main cause of death for only 169 of the nearly 600 names on the list. All of the other deceased had various causes of death. For example, there was a 60-year-old man who was killed by a gunshot to the head; a 77-year-old woman with Parkinson’s disease; a 90-year-old man who died due to complications from a broken hip. The list goes on.

Numerous media sources broadcast an especially crazy instance of data distortion, which even forced Florida’s governor to make excuses. The spreadsheet of COVID-19 deaths included the name of a young man who was killed in a motorcycle accident. During the autopsy, doctors discovered COVID-19 in his bodily tissues and concluded that the deadly accident could have resulted from a COVID-19 infection.

News of such data distortion catalyzed a huge reaction among the public. Florida authorities were swamped with demands that the mask mandate be lifted and other quarantine measures also be repealed.

The question that remains is: Why pull such tricks with official statistics? Well, there are several possible answers. First, there is the possibility of plain error on the part of medical professionals, or their lack of care, when considering the case history of each patient.

Secondly, the greed of a deceased person’s relatives could play a part. Funerals cost a great deal of money. In Florida, funeral costs begin at $7,000, and in New York, the cost is even higher. State governments offer some financial support. For instance, in more peaceful times, New Yorkers can receive a sum of $1,200 to help cover funeral costs. Now, during the pandemic, this subsidy has increased to $1,700 and become available to all, including immigrants in the country illegally. It is quite easy to get this money. One just has to list COVID-19 as the cause of death. Doctors can do this quite easily.

Finally, politics might factor into this question. The mayor of Orlando, the largest city in Orange County, is a Democrat, and so are four out of six members of the city council. For these politicians, the worse things get, the better it is. If the pandemic continues to take a horrible toll, then the quarantine will be prolonged and the federal government (i.e., President Donald Trump) can be blamed for the ongoing economic and social catastrophe. And of course, there is the possibility of getting more financial aid for the battle against COVID-19.

Based on official statistics, the U.S. has recorded 4 million cases of COVID-19, and more than 140,000 deaths from the virus.