Read the CDC memo at my post #4. Covid doesn’t need to be the cause. That it “contributed to” the death is sufficient.
If the patient is stage 4 cancer, and a plausible argument could be made that his death was in any way hastened by Covid, then he gets tagged as Covid (and the hospital gets federal funds)
So how long do you suggest be spent and what resources do you want committed to finding out if the actual cause of death was Covid-19 or stage 4 cancer?
If the patient is stage 4 cancer, and a plausible argument could be made that his death was in any way hastened by Covid, then he gets tagged as Covid