US is likely 'undercounting' Covid deaths, says Dr Fauci

Dr Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical Advisor to US President Joe Biden said on Saturday (local time) that it was likely that US officials have been undercounting the number of deaths due to COVID-19. His comments have come after a new report from University of Washington that says the death toll was nearly double.

"It's very likely that we're undercounting, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director Of The National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

He did note that the University of Washington's 900,000 number was "a bit more than I would have thought the undercounting was."

The analysis by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation pegs the US death toll at more than 900,000. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wednesday (May 5) put its latest official estimate at 575,491 deaths in the United States due to the novel coronavirus.

USA is still the worst affected country in the world. Former US President Donald Trump was heavily criticised for his handling of the pandemic. It was under his watch that the US became the worst affected country in the world.

(With inputs from agencies)