Fact Check: Kamala Harris’s Misleading Claim Pandemic ‘Worse in U.S. than Other Advanced Nations’

CLAIM: “This virus has impacted almost every country. But there’s a reason it has hit America worse than any other advanced nation. It’s because of [President Donald] Trump’s failure to take it seriously from the start.”

VERDICT: MISLEADING

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), presumptive Democrat nominee Joe Biden’s vice-presidential pick, alleged Wednesday that the coronavirus had plagued the United States more than any other developed country.

In sheer numbers, the United States has more confirmed infections and deaths than any other country. The U.S. also has the third-largest population in the world, more than any other developed country.

Per capita, America has reported more cases than nearly all developed nations (except Chile), a tally by the Worldometer showed on Wednesday evening.

However, there are several other advanced nations — including the United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, Italy, and Sweden — with a higher death rate per 100,000 residents, data maintained by Johns Hopkins University revealed, echoing the Worldometer figures.

The data showed that COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) is more widespread but less deadly in the U.S. than in the developed countries with a higher per capita death rate. Compared to those other countries, more people are contracting the virus without dying in the United States.

Some analysts suggest the faster the disease spreads and hits its peak, the fewer people die. The second spike in the average number of daily new U.S. cases that began in early June hit its crest in late July and steadily dropped until yesterday. It is unclear if the figures will remain at the level now (about 55,000) or continue to drop.

New deaths reported daily had also plateaued in the United States as of Wednesday after a second spike that began in July and remained below peak level. The average tally of new daily fatalities is currently at around 1,000, well below peak levels.

Worldometer data showed that the United States had done more testing than any other developed country globally, which has increased the case tally through the detection of more infections. America also leads the world in total recoveries.

According to Johns Hopkins, the confirmed case fatality rate in the U.K. (14.9 percent) is much higher than in the U.S. (3.2 percent). The case death rate only takes into account confirmed infections, excluding people with mild or no symptoms that do not require medical attention.

The U.S. has experienced massive nationwide unrest encouraged by the media and their Democrat allies, making coronavirus case comparisons with other developed countries difficult. Some public health officials in the U.S. have described the protests as potential breeding grounds for COVID-19.

The U.S. economy, particularly the gravity-defying U.S. stock market, appears to be weathering the virus’s impact better than at least some of the other developed countries.

At the very least, it seems that the economy’s contraction is less severe in the United States.

Before the rise of the virus, the United States enjoyed one of the best economies in history, which provided a cushion for the disease’s financial toll.

For months, the Democrat-allied mainstream media has warned of a looming economic downturn similar to the Great Depression that the U.S. has avoided.