I’ve seen death in the elderly chalked up to organ failure without acknowledgment that mis-medicating was the root cause. So I just assume it is easy for them to attribute death in that population to the flu—if they have the flu, or symptoms of the flu, at the time of death. Could be wrong. Haven’t actually seen it.
I suspect the way it’s being watched and tracked, they’re probably getting these deaths right - but, of course, there will be mistakes, particularly given the nightmare they’re dealing with.
The vast majority of “flu deaths” are actually pneumonia deaths. Anyone over 70 or 80 who is hospitalized has a significant chance of developing pneumonia, and it’s quite possible, or even likely, that many cases of “Hospital Acquired Pneumonia” are blamed on the flu, and cause of death listed as “Influenza Related Pneumonia”. It covers up a significant source of hospital CAUSED deaths and probably avoids significant liability.