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The World Health Organization (WHO) created a very broad definition of what is considered to be a “COVID death”, and this definition was adopted worldwide. According to their definition, a COVID death is one where a person had a confirmed or suspected case of COVID at any time, prior to death.^[1] This means that what is reported as a COVID death may have another cause, like cancer or a heart condition. Nevertheless, if the hospital suspects COVID, or if the patient tested positive, even when no COVID symptoms are present, it is recorded as a COVID death. By mid-April 2020 nearly 37% of COVID deaths in New York City were “presumptive” COVID deaths.^[2]

According to a UK study over the summer of 2020, nearly a third of all deaths recorded as COVID did not have COVID as an “underlying cause of death”.^[3] That figure appears to be consistent with other time periods as well.^[4] In addition, once COVID was recorded as a reason for death on the death certificate, it could not be rescinded, even if it was in error.^[5] Meanwhile, in the USA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that only about 6% of COVID deaths had no comorbidity.^[6] This means that 94% of COVID deaths had additional contributing causes of death listed on the death certificate.^[7]

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