From using his presidential campaign as a platform to announce his run for Senate to confusing his wife with his sister, we’re all well acquainted with Joe Biden’s numerous slip-ups. So, of course, it’s no surprise when the Democratic Party’s best choice for president says that 150 million people have died from gun violence since 2007 or that COVID-19 has killed 120 million. We laugh it off and then we get on with our lives.
But Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) – the would-be vice president running with Biden – is much younger and, supposedly, more lucid. When she drops numbers, we ought to listen. And listen we did: The senator recently declared that 220 million Americans had lost their lives to the coronavirus this year. With an estimated population of 328,239,523 in 2019, that’s about 67% of our nation dead!
We knew the pandemic was bad, but this is alarming news, indeed. However…
As reliable a source as we know Sen. Harris to be, something seemed a little off about those numbers. Shortly after hearing the news, I found myself stuck in traffic on the interstate coming out of Little Rock, AR. It seemed strange that with only about a third of the country’s population left alive, traffic patterns in my area hadn’t changed. I also noted that my wait in line at Kroger was just as long as usual. So, I decided to check in with my colleagues at Liberty Nation. “According to Walmart, those numbers are totally skewed,” reported Kelli Ballard, who lives considerably to the north and west of me. And from the Midwest’s own Sarah Cowgill: “Still too many people at McDonald’s for coffee.” And with that, it became clear that we need to look into Sen. Harris’ sensational claim.
Just the Facts, Ma’am
What Sen. Harris said:
“We’re in the middle of a crisis caused by this pandemic. We’re looking at over 220 million Americans who, just in the last several months, have died. It breaks your heart. Many people – who without their loved ones – were by themselves. We’re looking at eight million people who have contracted the virus.”
Though perhaps not as sophisticated or politically savvy as the esteemed senator from California, I do consider myself handy with numbers – and there appears to be a contradiction in hers. How could 220 million people die of COVID-19 if only eight million caught the disease? Perhaps this particular apocalypse is of the zombie type, and the remaining couple hundred million were killed, not by the virus itself, but by the hordes of undead created by it that somehow just haven’t made it to my neck of the woods yet. Just to be sure, let’s check the official numbers.
According to the CDC, 223,393 people have died with COVID-19 as of October 24. Note the emphasis on “with”? That’s because there’s a difference between dying with something and dying of it. Also, from the CDC – though buried as deeply as possible by the left-leaning media who need this crisis to unseat President Trump – is another alarming announcement that calls into question the “official” number. As Liberty Nation’s Pennel Bird reported in September: “In a story being rolled out with all the media fanfare that might herald the opening of a neighborhood lemonade stand, the CDC quietly released a report that showed just 6% of COVID-19 deaths since February were from Coronavirus alone.” The remaining 94% of patients who died with it had what are called comorbidities – that is, they suffered from some other condition that can be fatal or complicate other illnesses. Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, lung cancer – the list goes on.
So let’s apply that 6% to the 223,393. Somewhere around 13,400 Americans may have died of COVID-19 rather than merely with it.
Conclusion: Biden’s Confusion Is Catching
It seems the former vice president’s confusion may be just as contagious as coronavirus. Sorry, Sen. Harris, but your number is way off. Not sorry, my fellow Americans, to report that 220 million of you haven’t died after all!
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