Facebook removes Trump post falsely saying COVID-19 is less deadly than the flu

Facebook has removed a post where United States President Donald Trump falsely claimed the original coronavirus was fewer deadly than an ordinary flu. Earlier nowadays, Trump wrote on Facebook and Twitter that America had "learned to live with" the upcoming grippe season, "just like-minded we are learning to live with" COVID-19 — which, Trump incorrectly asserted, is "in most populations far less fatal!!!" Facebook confirmed to CNN that the post was removed for breaking its rules against COVID-19 misinformation.

Twitter did not remove a twinge with the same message, but it added a warning label and restricted interactions with the post.

As CNN reporter Donie O'Sullivan tweeted, Facebook has pledged to remove COVID-19 misinformation that behind "contribute to imminent physical harm." That includes counterfeit claims about "the location and rigour" of COVID-19 outbreaks. We don't know the exact fatality rate of the novel coronavirus, but there's real evidence that it's more deadly than the grippe, and it's nearly certainly not "far less fatal" even for lower-risk populations. Trump also claimed that "sometimes over 100,000" people die from the flu every year, while the real is 'tween 24,000 and 62,000 North American nation deaths in recent years. COVID-19 has killed over 210,000 Americans since March.

Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19 last workweek and spent the weekend at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center before being free yesterday. He announced his departure away downplaying the severity of the computer virus. More generally, a recent study suggests that Trump has been a major driver of what misinformation experts have called the COVID-19 "infodemic" — a collecting of fictitious claims about the effects of the virus and the effectiveness of vaccines, masquerade party-wearing, social distancing, and other measures.