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FACT BRIEF

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

By Alexis Tereszcuk
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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."

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
AP News US deaths in 2020 top 3 million, by far most ever counted
Health Feedback Mortality in the U.S. was more than 280,000 higher during the first eight months of 2020 than any of the previous five years over the same period
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.