Fauci says comfort in lower coronavirus death rate is 'false narrative'

Anthony Fauci.
(Image credit: AL DRAGO/AFP via Getty Images)

President Trump on Tuesday criticized the media for not reporting enough on the declining death rate among coronavirus patients in the United States. It is true the death rate is lower now than it was earlier on the during the pandemic, but Dr. Anthony Fauci warned Tuesday that taking comfort in that fact can lead to "false complacency."

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, expressed concern about "the false narrative" during a Facebook event hosted by Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.). His point was that mortality isn't the only negative consequence of COVID-19, which also appears to be causing lingering health issues for recovered patients.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.