Claim: The Chief Executive Officer of the National Lottery Authority, Samuel Awuku, has claimed that the United States of America (USA) recorded almost 2 million Covid-19 deaths.
Verdict: False. According to the United States of America’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an institution that operates under the US Department of Health and Human Services, the US recorded 1,169,666 deaths. This figure is way below the 2 million figure.
Full Text
Beyond bringing economies to a standstill worldwide, one of the most devastating consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the significant loss of human lives. In a recent interview, Samuel Awuku, the aspiring Member of Parliament for the Akuapem North Constituency and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Lottery Authority, claimed the United States of America (USA) recorded over 2 million COVID-19 deaths.
“The claim leaves me baffled when people attempt to dismiss the impact of COVID-19 on us. The entire world was under lock and key, faced with a dilemma: to prioritise saving economies or human lives. Donald Trump decided that America would choose the economy over human lives, resulting in the loss of almost two million people. In contrast, Ghana chose to prioritise human lives over the economy.” Awuku stated
This was made known during Mr Awuku’s participation in Peace FM’s Kokrokoo’s Show on Jan. 21, 2024, where he contributed to a discussion on why Ghana has accumulated a substantial debt. According to him, the Ghanaian government’s decision to save human lives rather than the economy led to debt accumulation through borrowing.
The claim can be found between the 4:02 to 4:45 timestamps. The show has been published on the station’s YouTube account, Despite Media.
Verification
DUBAWA focused its research on data sourced from healthcare organisations within the United States. We revealed that the US Department of Health and Human Services is the primary institution dedicated to advancing the health and well-being of all Americans. Within this institution operates the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tasked with comprehensively tracking all COVID-19 data since the onset of the pandemic.
Upon perusing the organisation’s website, DUBAWA found a detailed account of the total number of COVID-19 deaths in the United States since Jan 1, 2020. The statistics revealed the US had recorded 1,169,666 Covid-19 deaths. Notably, this figure contradicts the claim made by Sammy Awuku that about 2 million people died during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US.
Conclusion
The claim by the Chief Executive Officer of the National Lottery Authority, Samuel Awuku, that the United States of America (USA) recorded almost 2 million COVID-19 deaths is false.
