President Biden, in a speech Thursday night, exaggerated elements of the coronavirus pandemic, along with his and his predecessor’s response to it. Here is a fact check.
What Mr Biden said
‘A year ago we were hit with a virus that went silent and spread unnoticed, denials for days, weeks and then months. ‘
This is exaggerated. It is true that President Donald J. Trump downplayed the severity of the coronavirus pandemic for months. But he was not exactly quiet and did not manage to respond completely. A year ago, on March 12, 2020, Mr. Trump delivered a speech from the Oval Office in which he acknowledged the threat and announced new travel restrictions in much of Europe.
What Mr Biden said
‘So far, the total death toll in America has been 527,726. That is more deaths than in World War I, World War II, Vietnam War and 9/11 combined. ”
This is exaggerated. According to estimates by the Department of Veterans Affairs, a total of 392,393 people died in combat in those three wars. In combination with the 2,977 people who died in the attacks on September 11, 2001, the figure would indeed be smaller than the death toll from coronavirus, Mr. Called praying. It would also be lower than the 529,000 death rate detected by The New York Times. But considering deaths that occurred in service but outside of combat, the toll of the three wars (more than 610,000) would be higher than the current total number of virus-related deaths that Mr. Pray quoted it.
What Mr Biden said
‘Two months ago, this country did not have nearly enough vaccine supplies to vaccinate the entire American public. But soon we will do it. ‘
This is misleading. By the end of last year, the Trump administration had ordered at least 800 million doses of vaccine that was expected to be delivered by July 31, 2021, the Government Office reported. These include vaccines that are undergoing clinical trials, as well as those that have not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. According to Kaiser Health News, that would have been enough to vaccinate 200 million people with authorized vaccines, and more than enough for 400 million once all the vaccines have been cleared for use. The current U.S. population is about 330 million. And contrary to the proposals of Mr. Pray, both administrations deserve credit for the current state of the vaccine.
What Mr Biden said
‘When I took office 50 days ago, only 8 percent of Americans after months, only 8 percent of those over 65, got their first vaccination. Today it is 65 percent. ”
This is misleading. Then Mr. Biden took office on January 20, the vaccination effort only began after the FDA approved the drug’s Pvizer’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use in mid-December.
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention also recommends that people between the ages of 65 and 74 receive the vaccine after it has been administered to healthcare workers, residents of long-term care facilities, emergency workers and people over the age of 75.
It is also noteworthy that approximately 62.4 percent of people older than 65 received one vaccine dose, but only 32.2 percent were fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.