Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
Has the U.S. accounted for at least a fourth of all COVID-19 deaths in the first five months of 2020?
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
By Mollie Jo Blahunka
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YES
As of May 19, the World Health Organization had reported 89,272 COVID-19 deaths in the United States and 315,131 internationally. By these figures, deaths in the U.S. accounted for roughly 28% of the total COVID-19 deaths. Data recorded on another widely-cited website maintained by Johns Hopkins University shows slightly varying totals but a similar proportion.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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