---
title: "Elon Musk Is Still Sharing Coronavirus Misinformation"
description: "Elon Musk is once again posting misleading claims about the coronavirus pandemic in an attempt to downplay the danger it poses."
date: "2020-07-01"
modified: "2020-07-01"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-sharing-coronavirus-misinformation"
categories:
  - "Elon Musk"
  - "Future Society"
  - "Health & Medicine"
  - "Medical"
  - "Pathogens"
  - "The Industrialists"
  - "Viruses"
tags:
  - "coronavirus"
  - "covid19"
  - "elon musk"
  - "tesla"
  - "the digest"
---

# Elon Musk Is Still Sharing Coronavirus Misinformation

![Elon Musk is once again posting misleading claims about the coronavirus pandemic in an attempt to downplay the danger it poses.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/elon-musk-sharing-coronavirus-misinformation.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: JD Lasica via Flickr\</em\>*

## Dangerous Platform

As the coronavirus pandemic rages on in the U.S., Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk [continues to downplay](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/elon-musk-coronavirus-public-health-risk>) the very real danger it poses.

As recently as Tuesday, Elon Musk [tweeted inaccurate claims](<https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1278067411309166597>) that official reports were exaggerating the COVID-19 death toll. But, as [*Business Insider* reports](<https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-ceo-elon-musk-kimbal-question-coronavirus-false-positive-data-2020-7>), the opposite is likely true: The [over 127,400 people](<https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6>) officially killed by the disease in the U.S. is, if anything, likely an underrepresentation of how many people have actually died from COVID-19.

## Wrong Direction

In reality, COVID-19 has probably killed more Americans than we know about thanks to widespread test unavailability and overwhelmed healthcare systems. A new [study](<https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.3391?guestAccessKey=430b6dad-a4ab-42a5-bb2b-9f94c81b10d1&utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=070120>), first [spotted by *Gizmodo*](<https://gizmodo.com/27-000-coronavirus-linked-deaths-have-gone-uncounted-in-1844231748>), suggests that some 27,000 additional coronavirus-related deaths went uncounted in the U.S. — and that's just as of late May. In the last month, that number would likely have climbed even higher.

For Musk, a respected business and engineering magnate, to use his tremendous platform and influence to claim that the opposite is happening — that the coronavirus is less dangerous than it really is — is [irresponsible at best](<https://futurism.com/musk-trump-coronavirus-twitter>), and dangerous at worst.

## Looming Disaster

Earlier this year, Musk refused to shut down Tesla's manufacturing operation until [law enforcement got involved](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/california-cops-tesla-factory-must-shut-down>), and defied court orders by re-opening early, *Business Insider* reports.

Meanwhile, Tesla workers [tell *Observer*](<https://observer.com/2020/07/tesla-workers-say-factory-is-a-coronavirus-disaster-waiting-to-happen/>) that the plant's lax coronavirus protocols make it a disaster waiting to happen.

"If Tesla truly was making ventilators, I would go back in a second.” Carlos Gabriel, who was fired for refusing to return to the plant, told *Observer*. "But to make electric cars, that's only making Elon Musk rich? I don’t think that's a priority right now."

**READ MORE:** [Elon Musk and his brother double down on misleading coronavirus theories](<https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-ceo-elon-musk-kimbal-question-coronavirus-false-positive-data-2020-7>) \[*Business Insider*\]

**More on Elon Musk:** *[Elon Musk Is a Public Health Risk](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/elon-musk-coronavirus-public-health-risk>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)