In an unfortunate misstep on Tuesday, President Biden inadvertently understated the death toll of COVID-19, suggesting that “over 100” Americans had succumbed to the disease since its emergence more than three years ago. The White House later amended the figure to the accurate “over 1 million” in the official transcript.
At 80 years old, Biden made this mistake while outlining a new initiative for expanding mental health care, acknowledging the profound grief still experienced due to the pandemic.
“Over 100 people have lost their lives,” stated Biden during his announcement, “which translates to 100 vacant seats at dinner tables across America. Every loss is deeply felt, leaving many grieving and heartbroken.”
Despite the unintentional error, the actual number of American lives lost to COVID-19 since 2020 is closer to 1,135,000, as per the data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The World Health Organization estimates that the global death toll from the disease is nearing 7 million.
Earlier in his address, Biden accurately noted that “over a million people” had passed away from the virus, leaving an estimated “8 million people” mourning their loss. Biden’s staff rectified the oversight in the transcript of his speech, correcting the stated figure to the accurate “1 million”.
During his announcement on Tuesday, Biden revealed that his administration’s new initiative would oblige insurers to scrutinize patient outcomes to ensure parity between mental health and physical health benefits. This plan would consider factors such as their provider network, reimbursement rates, and the necessity for prior authorization for care.
The President stressed the importance of accessible, government-supported mental health insurance, particularly for those mourning the loss of loved ones to Covid-19. Emphasizing the impact of grief, Biden said, “Imagine the countless mornings when people wake up or sit down for dinner, and there’s an empty chair? The repercussions on people’s lives are immense.”
In his appeal to de-stigmatize mental health issues, the President added, “There is no distinguishing between a physical injury like a broken arm and a mental breakdown. Both are health issues.”
This recent blunder comes just over a week after Biden mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “Vladimir” during a speech at the annual NATO summit in Lithuania. He promptly corrected this error.
Additionally, the president mixed up Iceland and Ireland when he called the Scandinavian country’s prime minister the “daughter of Ireland” during the same trip.