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Were there fewer deaths in 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic raging, versus 2019 when there wasn't the virus?

Thursday, April 8, 2021
By Alexis Tereszcuk
NO

A meme went viral in January 2021 with the false claim that deaths in the United States in 2020 were approximately 20,000 less than 2019, implying that the coronavirus pandemic was fake. But The Associated Press reported final U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers for 2020 would show 3.2 million deaths in the U.S. -- 400,000 more deaths than 2019.

Also, Health Feedback said:

"During the first 34 weeks of 2020, 280,000 more people died than during the first 34 weeks of any of the five previous years. From March to August 2020, the number of weekly deaths was consistently higher compared to the weekly deaths of any of the previous five years."

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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