Blake Shelton Sparks Controversy With Tweet About CDC's Coronavirus Statistics

The Voice coach Blake Shelton waded into controversy Sunday morning when discussing a recent [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

The Voice coach Blake Shelton waded into controversy Sunday morning when discussing a recent update on coronavirus statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On Sunday morning, President Donald Trump amplified a supporter of the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory who claimed "only 6%" of U.S. deaths attributed to the virus "actually died from COVID." The tweet Trump retweeted to his 85 million followers has since been removed.

Trump shared a tweet from an account called "Mel Q," who shared a Facebook post claimed the CDC "quietly" updated statistics to "admit that only 6%" of coronavirus deaths "actually died from COVID" since "the other 94% had 2-3 other serious illnesses." According to CNN, Twitter deleted the tweet for violating its policies, but that did not stop "only 6%" from trending on the social network Sunday.

The CDC regularly updates its statistics on the coronavirus pandemic. In its most recent update, it noted that the death certificates for 6% of the deaths it has tracked list only COVID-19 as the cause of death. This only means that the other 94% of deaths had at least one other factor listed as contributing to the patient's death. For example, the death certificate might note that a patient also suffered from heart disease, diabetes, or obesity as well as COVID-19. People can live with these conditions for years, but they could die just a short time after becoming infected with the coronavirus.

Shelton chimed in on this situation, although he tried to be as apolitical about is as he could. "I'm not even sure which side (politically) this would land on," he tweeted. "But am I the only person who sees the new CDC update as some actual good news? Just that. Not left or right... Just updated info that's better than we thought. I mean does everything have to be a fight these days?"

Some thought he might have been writing about testing, but he clarified that he was specifically talking about the "6% news." He added, "Again I'm not looking for an argument from either side. I just see it as some better news is all." Someone later called him out, telling him to do some "actual research" on the situation. "This is what I'm talking about.. I'm not going to argue at all because I'm not advocating for anything," he wrote. "What is the fight? COVID is horrifying. That's it."

"Whew... I can see that there's no way a fight won't erupt about this stuff. No matter how you slice it. And that's last thing I wanted. Stay healthy and safe everyone," Shelton wrote in another tweet. He ended the discussion by retweeting a fan who told him to remind his followers to wear face masks. "I'm headed to film The Voice now," he wrote.

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