Trump Spins ER Statistic to Claim U.S. Is in ‘Great Shape’ on COVID-19

At recent campaign rallies, President Donald Trump has made the misleading boast that the U.S. is in “great shape” because 97% of emergency room visits were for something other than COVID-19. But the number is not as impressive as it sounds. Trump could have boasted of similar percentages — 93% to 96% — during the worst periods of the pandemic.

With Election Day a week away, the president continued his efforts to paint an overly rosy picture of the coronavirus pandemic in two Oct. 27 campaign rallies.

In each, Trump repeated the false notion that the U.S. is “rounding the corner” or “rounding the turn” on the pandemic and debuted a new statistic to ostensibly support his position.

“Thanks to our relentless efforts, 97% of all current emergency rooms visits are for something other than the virus,” the president said before a crowd in West Salem, Wisconsin. “You don’t