2/7 After Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, Trump criticized a report that raised the death toll from 64 to nearly 3,000, by counting deaths in the storm and in the weeks after. Trump said Democrats raised the number "to make me look as bad as possible."
3/7 Surprisingly, there's no uniform standard for collecting data on deaths. 15 years after Hurricane Katrina, death estimates range from 1,000 to 2,000 when “indirect deaths” are included, like delayed healthcare or even heart attacks after the storm. 
4/7 Some governments have been accused of inflating death tolls. According to reports, Haitian officials exaggerated the number of fatalities in the 2010 earthquake to attract more international aid.
5/7 Accurate data on cases and deaths help officials improve responses in the future and focus on the greatest need. In Covid, the data show black and Hispanic people were affected disproportionately, laying bare the stark healthcare and economic disadvantages they face.
6/7 Data collection is inconsistent. Some states report only deaths where Covid is the confirmed cause. @CDCgov also wants to count deaths where it is the probable cause. Dr. #AnthonyFauci, head of @NIAID, has said the US toll, over 120,000, is likely an undercount.
7/7 There's a partisan divide developing over Covid that could play out in the November election. A recent Gallup poll showed Republicans are 10 times as likely as Democrats to say the death count has been overstated.
news.gallup.com/poll/311408/re…
news.gallup.com/poll/311408/re…
