In a Friday rally in Waterford, Michigan President Donald Trump stated without evidence, “Our doctors get more money if someone dies from Covid. You know that, right? I mean our doctors are very smart people. So what they do is they say, ‘I’m sorry but everybody dies of Covid.’”
There is no evidence that backs up the President’s newest attack on frontline healthcare workers. According to a count done by John Hopkins University, as of Friday evening, a new daily high of over 90,000 American COVID-19 diagnoses was reached along with around 929 reported deaths. Also, Thursday night, South Dakota and Wyoming have reported their highest death tolls so far during the pandemic.
The American Medical Association has, without naming the president specifically, condemned the claim that doctors are inflating the number of Covid patients they care for. The president of the AMA, Dr. Susan Bailey stated , “The suggestion that doctors — in the midst of a public health crisis — are over counting COVID-19 patients or lying to line their pockets is a malicious, outrageous, and completely misguided charge.” She added, “Throughout this pandemic, physicians, nurses, and frontline health care workers have risked their health, their safety and their lives to treat their patients and defeat a deadly virus.”
To be clear, regardless of the effect of any preexisting condition, even if it would eventually kill them, if someone dies after contracting COVID-19, that is their cause of death. In a statement last month on CNN by Bob Anderson, the chief of mortality statistics at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “The underlying cause of death is the condition that began the chain of events that ultimately led to the person’s death. In 92% of all deaths that mention Covid-19, Covid-19 is listed as the underlying cause of death.”
All Quotes by Donald Trump are taken from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NINpOi_hrjs, a video of his rally in Waterford, Michigan on 10/30/2020.
