Posted on 04/14/2020 1:11:20 PM PDT by TeleStraightShooter
Yep. That’s one of the articles that can’t read plain English in the sources that directly contradicts the points almost line by line. They also clip out pieces of the quotes which contradict what they are saying.
This guidance for COVID is the same as it is for the flu and other multi-condition diseases/issues, and as it has been for decades.
The CDC guidelines *specifically* point out that the examiner assess whether the person had COVID, and whether they would have died if not for COVID in making their determination.
It does not even a little bit instruct anyone to classify all COVID-19 infected deaths as COVID-19 deaths.
Read this:
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvss/vsrg/vsrg03-508.pdf
A lot of information is included on the form, but the underlying cause of death (UCOD), is what the judgement of the doctor filling out the form determined led to the death.
“The UCOD, which is “(a) the disease or injury which initiated the train of morbid events leading directly to death or (b) the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury” (7), should be reported on the lowest line used in Part I.
“Part II
“Other significant conditions that contributed to the death, but are not a part of the sequence in Part I, should be reported in Part II. Not all conditions present at the time of death have to be reported—only those conditions that actually contributed to death.”
.
We know with absolute certainty that CDC guidelines for filling them out mean people with mild cases who die of some unrelated disease get added to the virus’s death toll.
[…]
We even know that people who aren’t infected with the virus are getting counted as fatalities.
.
According to Coronavirus Task Force coordinator, Dr. Birx herself:
“If someone dies with COVID-19, we are counting that as a COVID-19 death.”
The Task Force’s unofficial leader, Dr. Fauci says:
“I can’t imagine if someone comes in with coronavirus, goes to an ICU, and they have an underlying heart condition and they die—they’re going to say, ‘Cause of death: heart attack.’ I cannot see that happening.”
Birx, for example, refers there *specifically* to cases where the patient was admitted to the ICU for COVID symptoms, and where *it* excites other conditions.
“There are other countries that if you had a pre-existing condition, and let’s say the *virus* caused you to go to the ICU [intensive care unit] and then have a heart or kidney problem,” she said during a Tuesday news briefing at the White House. “Some countries are recording that as a heart issue or a kidney issue and not a COVID-19 death.”
This, by the way, is how the deaths by flu are attributed as well.
“Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, then took the podium to reiterate Birx’s statements.
‘I can’t imagine if someone with coronavirus goes to an ICU and they have an underlying heart condition and they die, they’re going to say cause of death: heart attack,’ Fauci said. ‘I can’t see that happening, so I don’t like it will be a problem.’
“
They said these things consecutively, so the context is the same: Someone went to the ICU because of COVID symptoms, with the coronavirus - they should not be given a cause of death as though they died of a heart attack out of the blue. This is the exact *opposite* of what the author is deriving from it. Also note that the point of the article was a discussion about UNDERCOUNTING of COVID deaths, and provides some support for that happening where people died at home.
.
A March 24 Q&A style memo the CDC sent out directing doctors on how to fill out death certificates is explicit about it:
Should “COVID-19” be reported on the death certificate only with a confirmed test? COVID-19 should be reported on the death certificate for all decedents where the disease
“Should “COVID-19” be reported on the death certificate only with a confirmed test? 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. Certifiers should include as much detail as possible based on their knowledge of the case, medical records, laboratory testing, etc. If the decedent had other chronic conditions such as COPD or asthma that may have also contributed, these conditions can be reported in Part II. (See attached Guidance for Certifying COVID-19 Deaths) “
Before you go into the crazy-weeds over the word “assumed”, understand that as already covered this is an assumption by a trained doctor or ME, based upon their best judgement of the cause of death.
.
The question isn’t whether COVID-19’s fatality numbers are inflated, it’s by how much. And the answer appears to be, “a lot”:
I don’t doubt that there are cases where the person has COVID, and the cause is ambiguous and where the person has been put on a ventilator or in ICU that there is a bias towards classifying the UCOD as COVID to attempt to recover the costs of treatment, but that’s not going to be a big shift, as those treatments are relatively uncommon for other ailments. Regardless, they are not going to cause 150 deaths per day to sprout into 200 deaths per day, much less the 600.
Anyways, this response is already way too long. If you don’t get it from that, you aren’t going to.
Presuming someone died of the virus without being tested is an absurd standard. Elderly people die at home regularly -- from natural causes or other health conditions. Making assumptions that was from the virus is absolutely corrupt. And, you're trusting the socialists that run New York to tell the truth, which is as insane as trusting the Chinese government to tell the truth.
You're incredibly naive or willingly blind to the manipulation of the numbers for political or financial gain. That is alarming.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.