Fact Checking Claims About a Statement by Rochelle Walensky

On Monday, a video went viral in which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said, “The overwhelming number of [COVID-19] death, over 75%, occurred in people who had at least four comorbidities.” 

The video came from an interview Walensky did on Good Morning America, and was cited as proof that coronavirus is a virus with limited risk for all but the already ill. But the presentation of Walensky’s comments removes important context: Walensky did not say 75 percent of COVID deaths have occurred among those with four comorbidities; she said that 75 percent of COVID deaths among the vaccinated members of a recent study have occurred among those with four comorbidities.

You can watch the full segment of the video here: