CDC: Director’s actual words
On Jan. 14, The Press published a letter from a gentleman in Coeur d’Alene, saying the CDC director had announced that many reported COVID deaths in the U.S. are “not linked to COVID,” and that “The vast majority that died had other comorbidities.”
There’s been a misunderstanding. CDC Director Rochelle Walenski was referring to a specific group of vaccinated people, not the entire group of COVID deaths reported in the U.S. This was in a 3 1/2 minute interview with “Good Morning America,” which can be viewed on GMA’s website:
Walensky summarized a study of 1.2 million people, vaccinated between December and October. Of this group, she said, .015% experienced severe COVID illness, and .003% died of COVID. She added that more than 75% of THESE deaths were people who had at least four comorbidities, a.k.a. other illnesses.
In other words, this group of vaccinated people experienced a very low death rate. And, most of these vaccinated people who died were already sick in multiple ways.
Walensky’s message was, the vaccines are working very well at preventing serious illness and death, and she recommended people get vaccinated.
Whether we agree or disagree with her, we should be clear about what she said.
RYAN FOURNIER
Post Falls