Critics of the Biden administration are frustrated the CDC is not able to say how many deaths are actually from COVID-19. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has still not released the numbers after her Sunday interview with Fox News' Bret Baier.
"Do you know how many of the 836,000 deaths in the U.S. linked to COVID are from COVID or how many are with COVID, but they had other comorbidities? Do you have that breakdown?" Bret Baier asked Walensky on "Fox News Sunday."
"Yes of course with omicron we're following that very carefully," Walensky responded. "Our death registry of course takes a few weeks…to collect. And of course, omicron has just been with us for a few weeks. But those data will be forthcoming."
Newsmax’s medical contributor, Dr. David Samadi, has been pointing out the distinction in COVID-related deaths for almost two years.
“A majority of the patients that were dying from COVID had at least four comorbidities. Obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes are the main ones,” Samadi said.
Critics note how the mainstream media used the COVID death toll to criticize former President Donald Trump when he was in office but is unavailable when President Biden is in office.
“80%, some people may say more, of this disease was more politics than the actual treatment and saving lives,” Samadi explained. “We still have a chance that if we keep politics out of this, we’ll be able to put this behind us.”
He adds it's important to focus on vaccines and treatment for those with underlying conditions. He says there's been too much focus by the Biden administration on vaccinating children, who are far more likely to survive COVID-19.