COVID-19 death numbers generate debate over accuracy

COVID-19 death numbers generate debate over accuracyNew questions have emerged this week over the accuracy of the COVID-19 death numbers. The number of deaths caused by COVID-19 has sparked debate, with some claiming they are being undercounted, while others -- even top U.S. officials -- contending COVID-19 deaths are being inflated to make the pandemic seem worse, KOMO-TV in Washington state reported Wednesday. As of Friday morning, COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. numbered 75,670. At the same time, more than 1.2 million people have tested positive for the disease. St. Joseph County deputy health officer, Dr. Mark Fox, as he spoke to the media about COVID-19 in March. St. Joseph County deputy health officer, Dr. Mark Fox, as he spoke to the media about COVID-19 in March. (St. Joseph County Health Department) The Centers for Disease Control has issued guidance to public health officials for certifying COVID-19 deaths, the station reported. “If COVID–19 played a role in the death, this condition should be specified on the death certificate,” the CDC said. “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).” When reporting the number of COVID-19 certified deaths, they may seem undercounted because the information usually lags a week or two, according to the CDC, KOMO reported. Deputy St. Joseph County health officer Dr. Mark Fox expressed confidence that COVID-19 death numbers were accurate, while acknowledging that the reporting process can be tricky, WNDU-TV in Indiana reported on Monday. Fox told the station that if a patient dies from a heart attack but has tested positive for COVID-19, it's up to that patient's physician to decide if it is coronavirus-related. “I don't see the shifting estimates of number of deaths as a conspiracy,” he said. Jonathan Temte, a University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health associate dean, explained why he believes the COVID-19 death numbers are accurate in an interview Friday with Wisconsin Public Radio. CLICK HERE FOR MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE Temte said each week, the CDC reports the percentage of deaths in the U.S. due to pneumonia, influenza and now COVID-19. During the 2009-10 influenza season, 8.1 percent of people who died had either influenza or pneumonia. During 2017-18 those pneumonia- and flu-related deaths peaked at 10 percent. But, he said, this year the week ending April 11 hit a record 23.5 percent of deaths by COVID-19, influenza or pneumonia compared to the total number of deaths, the station reported. "That means that about 1 out of every 4 people in the U.S. that died that week died of influenza or pneumonia or COVID-19," Temte told the station, adding that influenza had largely gone away by then and wasn't circulating. "I've never seen it look that bad," he said. "So the people who dismiss COVID-19 as being something that is hyper-inflated or not being hyped too much are unfortunately totally wrong." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The station also quoted Temte saying that influenza deaths were based largely on estimates and COVID-19 deaths were based on actual numbers, so comparing the two really wasn’t fair. Fox Nation Conversation(3,554) Sort byNewest Add a comment... Deplorables. The 1st ones to whine and cry about government handouts and they celebrate getting a socialist stimulus check from Donald Trump. It's laughable Reply Share Report So FoxNews back to all Russia, all the time with a sprinkle of the death numbers are fake thrown in for good measure. Meanwhile, Trump says today that “In a way, by doing all of this testing, we make ourselves look bad”. He says this after demanding everyone in the White House and those he comes in contact with are tested every day. So testing very important to Trump for his own health, but not for the rest of America. Let’s just distract them from the coronavirus by talking about Flynn and Russia. Reply Share Report Looks like the PLANdemic is winding down. Reply Share Report 2019 Flu Season deaths, close to 57K. Think about that for a minute... Reply Share Report The irony of trump demanding constant testing while proclaiming it is a waste of time is completely lost on his base of supporters. They have no clue that trump would avoid his base by a country mile if there was word that even one of them at his rallies was infected. They have no idea that he would have them shot on sight if he could identify a supporter who was infected. Like Times Square, no one would care! Reply Share Report Is that why NY Cuomo sent Covic sick nursing patients back to nursing homes to tally up the dead count and keep profits going? Reply Share Report When you look at the CDC charts the number here in cludes pneumonia and other illnesses. The number related to only COVID on the chart was about 36000 yesterday. Reply Share Report The reason Flu related deaths are down this season is social distancing and hand washing - why is this so complicated for some people. Reply Share Report at least trump is getting to the wendy’s meat shortage Reply Share Report We already know the most important facts about this virus: It is as dangerous as the flu It is killing mostly very old people Most of the people who died had preexisting illnesses Countries with no lockdown have not turned into zombie wastelands There’s literally no real reason for the governments not to lift every lockdown restriction immediately. The fact that they’re not doing it suggests a hidden agenda.