[mar3o]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Nothing personal, but I favor Marc Lipsitch’s reasoning….. https://www.factcheck.org/2020/04/so...19-death-toll/
“A greater issue is errors in the other direction — deaths caused by COVID that are not counted as such,” he said.

as well as Sally Aiken's (President, National Association of Medical Examiners) conclusion at the end of the article

Right. That link says what should be obvious - that theory going around about falsely reported COVID-19 deaths started on Facebook as has no basis in fact.

“If COVID–19 played a role in the death, this condition should be specified on the death certificate. In many cases, it is likely that it will be the [underlying cause of death], as it can lead to various life-threatening conditions, such as pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS),” the guidance says. “In these cases, COVID-19 should be reported on the lowest line used in Part I with the other conditions to which it gave rise listed on the lines above it.”"

"The CDC advises that officials should report deaths in which the patient tested positive for COVID-19 — or, if a test isn’t available, “if the circumstances are compelling within a reasonable degree of certainty.” It further indicates that if a “definitive diagnosis cannot be made … but it is suspected or likely … it is acceptable to report COVID-19 on a death certificate as ‘probable’ or ‘presumed.'”

One hypothetical example cited by the CDC is an 86-year-old woman dying after exhibiting symptoms such as a high fever, severe cough, and difficulty breathing, “after being exposed to an ill family member who subsequently was diagnosed with COVID-19.” The CDC says that “probable COVID-19” may be listed as the underlying cause of death — a deduction made “given the patient’s symptoms and exposure to an infected individual.”"