Trump claims NYC inflating its coronavirus death toll

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President Trump on Wednesday claimed that New York City was inflating its COVID-19 death toll after health officials released new data that added 3,700 fatalities who were believed to have had the virus’ symptoms, but were never tested.

The latest figures, released Tuesday by NYC’s Health Department, rose the death toll to more than 10,000, making the city one of the major epicenters of the pandemic.

President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the Rose Garden of the White House, Wednesday, April 15, 2020, in Washington.  (AP)

Speaking during the daily briefing of the Coronavirus Task Force, Trump questioned New York City’s new criteria.

“I see this morning where New York added 3,000 [sic] deaths because they died. Rather than [a] heart attack, they say heart attack caused by this,” he said during the daily briefing of the Coronavirus Task Force, referring to COVID-19.

The additional victims raised the death toll to more than 28,000 in the U.S. Trump suggested that New York City was accounting for the 3,700 additional deaths “just in case” the victims had the coronavirus.

“If you look at it, that is it. Everything we have is documented and reported great. What they are doing is just in case — that is OK. We have more cases because we do more reporting.”

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De Blasio spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein took Trump to task for appearing to undermine the additional deaths.

“These were people with names, hobbies, lives. They leave behind grieving loved ones. They deserve to be recognized, not minimized,” she said.

Explaining the new criteria, Dr. Oxiris Barbot of the city’s health department told The New York Times that although the additional victims were not tested, their death likely wouldn’t have happened had it not been for the pandemic because it has overwhelmed city hospitals.

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Data from the city’s health department shows that some 60 percent of probable coronavirus fatalities occurred in hospitals, while the remaining 40 percent of probable coronavirus victims died in their homes.