Fox News political contributor and Fox Nation host Tammy Bruce said that much of the media coverage and political attention surrounding the coronavirus comes down to "manipulation."
"We're in an election year and the Democrats and their lapdogs, the media, are helping to facilitate distractions," said Bruce on her Fox Nation show "Get Tammy Bruce" on Tuesday.
Bruce laid out some facts about public health and the coronavirus for the purpose of helping Americans make rational decisions about their health and the health of their families.
"The CDC reports that in 2020 alone, so far... there have been 18,000 deaths and 32 million infected with the flu in the United States," she reported.
"I don't think you've heard that anywhere, have you?" she asked rhetorically. "It doesn't dominate the headlines... certainly not in the way the coronavirus has."
"Just this last week as everyone is wringing their hands over coronavirus, 13 kids died in the United States from the flu," she continued. "So far [this year], 105 children have died."
Bruce, though, does not fault Americans for anxiety over the coronavirus outbreak. "At the very beginning, we weren't sure what's going on," she said. "China is a very bad actor and we're still not even really sure how this [conoravirus] manifested."
Yet now, Bruce pointed out, more information is becoming available and that should ease some concerns.
In the latest episode of Fox Nation's "Deep Dive," Dr. Syra Madad, who is the senior director of the special pathogens program for the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, which is one of the largest public health systems in the U.S., pointed to statistics that show that over 40,000 people have recovered after being diagnosed with coronavirus.
A recent article in Slate, written by an emergency medicine physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, noted that "in China, the death rate has been reported as zero in children under 10 and very low, 0.2 percent, in healthy adults."
Bruce also observed that politicians and the many in the media don't express the same type of concern over the annual flu season, and for good reason, because there is no reason make Americans to panic.
CORONAVIRUS FEARS OVERHYPED? EXPERT PANEL PUTS OUTBREAK IN PERSPECTIVE
"It is part of life," said Bruce of the flu. "But we go on. We don't not go to concerts. We don't not take public transportation. We don't not take a flight. We don't not travel because flu, of course, is a worldwide pandemic effectively. And yet we're still living our lives."
"This is why this matters," argued Bruce, encouraging Americans to avoid, "being driven exclusively by headlines... by hysteria on other networks or what you might see in newspapers."
Much of this comes down to politics, Bruce concluded, "you can't blame the flu on Donald Trump. He's powerful, but not that powerful. But you can blame this new thing on him."
For Bruce's full remarks join Fox Nation and watch "Get Tammy Bruce" today.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR A FOX NATION FREE TRIAL
Fox Nation programs are viewable on-demand and from your mobile device app, but available only for Fox Nation subscribers. Go to Fox Nation to start a free trial and watch the extensive library from Tomi Lahren, Pete Hegseth, Abby Hornacek, Laura Ingraham, Greg Gutfeld, Judge Andrew Napolitano and many more of your favorite Fox News personalities.
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.