BREAKING NEWS: Deaths spike, belying a false White House narrative

“It’s a false narrative,” said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci about the idea that the relatively low number of COVID- 19 deaths lately—low only in comparison with the skyrocketing number of new infections but high compared to other developed countries—is a reason to take comfort.

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are among the leading authors of this and other similar optimistic narratives. Are predictions coming out of the White House credible or is Dr. Fauci right?

That is what scientists call an empirical question, one on which we can look at data and find an answer.

Here is the answer, as reported today by U.S. News:

Seven-day averages of virus-related deaths in Arizona, Texas and Florida are trending upward, according to data from The COVID Tracking Project laid out in graphs from Axios. All three states saw their highest single-day death tolls this week.The rising numbers are significant because they come after some observers, like President Donald Trump, downplayed record numbers of new daily coronavirus infections while the national mortality rate remained low in recent weeks. But health experts warned that the surge in cases would likely be followed by a significant increase in deaths.