There is a rumor floating around on social media that the states are over counting COVID-19 deaths to increase the crisis of the pandemic. The state and Pacific County are working hard to present properly counted coronavirus mortality rates.
During a press conference last week, Washington State Health Officer Katy Lofy explained how the state is approaching the death counts. "We collect lab results on individuals who test positive. If our investigator learns that the individual has passed away, we include that in that [initial report] and we indicate that in their records."
"We also look at the death certificates that are coming in," she said. "Of all the people who have Lab Confirmed COVID, who then go on and die, 90% of them have COVID listed on the death certificate as their cause of death. And then there is a smaller portion, 10%, that died but don't have an indication or doesn't specifically say COVID-19 on their death certificate, but they died of a natural cause like a heart attack or respiratory failure."
She went on to explain that if the death is not directly related to COVID-19, then they are removed from the state's coronavirus count and the coronavirus cause of death is removed from the death certificate.
"For example, if a person who dies in a car accident, that may initially get reported...but it will not be reported in the official count," said Pacific County Department of Health Director Katie Lindstrom. "We are not counting people if they have COVID and they die of something else that is not COVID. They are not counted as a COVID death."
But there is also a chance that we have under counted COVID related deaths. One worry is that asymptomatic coronavirus individuals that may go under the radar after they die.
During the press conference on July 13, Governor Jay Inslee said, "There are people dying of COVID who were never tested and so are not picked up in our situation. That is becoming an increasing recognition of that phenomenon across the country, so we know one thing: Too many Washingtonians are dying. It demands a response and we're making sure that it gets it."
For up-to-date information on COVID-19 in Washington go to coronavirus.wa.gov.