[phaedrus441]

I decided to look into this, because I hear this bandied about frequently (i.e. "these death numbers aren't real because they count even if they incidentally had COVID-19"). Turns out, this isn't correct.

Here's the CDC site with that data: https://data.cdc.gov/NCHS/Provisional-COVID-19-Deaths-Focus-...

Here's the site with information about how a death is counted: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid19/index.htm

In short, for a death to be counted as COVID, it needs to be listed on the death certificate (which only lists diagnoses directly related to the death).

For example, when I write a death certificate (which is a standardized form), it sounds something like this: Cause of Death: Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome as a Consequence of COVID-19 pneumonia

Guidance from my state (SC) specifically says: "The Coronavirus Disease 2019 or COVID-19 should be reported on the death certificate for all decedents where the disease caused or is assumed to have caused or contributed to death. The preferred term to use in the cause of death is COVID-19." So I can see possibilities where we don't know if it was the MRSA pneumonia superimposed on the COVID-19 or the COVID-19 itself, and we are supposed to report COVID on there, but the idea that a car crash victim would be counted in the statistics seems unlikely.

[kcplate]

But it has happened, and several times I recall early in the pandemic when some of the reporting rules were perhaps not as clear. Whether it’s frequent now…not sure, there was certainly enough media scrutiny generated then to force a greater degree of care for accuracy now.

https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/fox-35-investigates-questi...

[phaedrus441]

Of course it has happened and probably will continue to happen. The key is that this isn't a systemic error, but rather providers going against the government's reporting rules (either mistakenly or intentionally). One could imagine mistakes erring in the opposite direction, though nobody is looking for that (nor would it be an easy thing to discover).