The covid-19 death figures you're seeing are incomplete It's become a grim routine to track the death toll of the novel coronavirus. The United States crossed 1,000 reported deaths on Wednesday — a tenfold increase from the 100 or so just nine days earlier. President Trump often notes that covid-19 deaths are far below those for the swine flu (17,000, he says) or seasonal influenza (averaging 37,000 a year). But he's comparing apples and oranges. The daily tracking number for covid-19 is substantially below the real figure of deaths that can be attributed to the new coronavirus. It represents only the bare minimum — confirmed deaths reported by hospitals, medical providers and state health authorities as caused by covid-19. The actual number is substantially higher, but that will only become apparent after statistical modeling on excess mortality during this period. What do we mean? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that from April 12, 2009, to April 10, 2010, there were 12,469 deaths in the United States because of the H1N1 (swine flu) virus. That was the midpoint of an estimate that ranged from a low of 8,868 to a high of 18,306. But that was an after-the-fact report. These swine flu numbers were not being produced and updated in real time. It took hindsight and further research. There already is anecdotal evidence that many deaths that stem from covid-19 are not being recorded as such. Doctors and nurses have told BuzzFeed News that deaths are not being correctly reported, in part because overwhelmed hospitals and a shortage of tests meant people died before it was determined whether they had contracted the virus. Something to keep in mind as you hear about the daily totals. For the full fact check, click here. Sign up for The Post's Coronavirus Updates newsletter to track the outbreak. All stories linked within the newsletter are free to access. Enjoy this newsletter? Forward it to someone else who'd like it! If this email was forwarded to you, sign up here. Did you hear something fact-checkable? Send it here; we'll check it out. A crash course on the Defense Production ActThe Trump administration has dithered and given mixed messages on whether it will use the Defense Production Act, a 1950 law designed for national emergencies that allows the president to force private industries to produce needed supplies. Today, the underlying issue is a shortage of ventilators for patients and protective equipment for health-care professionals on the front lines. Ventilators can save lives because they allow patients to breathe when they cannot do so on their own. Experts estimate that more than 800,000 ventilators might be needed at the peak of the outbreak, but the United States has only a fraction of that number available (fewer than 200,000 as of last week). State and federal officials from both parties say Trump could fill this critical shortage by using the Defense Production Act to its full extent. Trump says it's not necessary because private companies are stepping up voluntarily. We figured readers would have many questions about this law and how the president's wartime powers could be used in the response to the covid-19 outbreak, so we wrote an explanation in the form of a Q&A. For the full fact check, click here. We're always looking for fact-check suggestions. You can reach us via email, Twitter (@GlennKesslerWP, @rizzoTK, @mmkelly22, @SarahCahlan) or Facebook. Read about our process and rating scale here, and sign up for the newsletter here. Scroll down for this week's Pinocchio roundup. | 
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