“Was COVID-19 Really the Killer?,” by Ed Susman, MedPageToday

Quote:

“As deaths attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic soar above 200,000, physicians and medical examiners have to decide whether decedents with positive SARS-CoV-2 tests died from COVID-19 or merely ‘with’ it — with autopsies providing the only sure answer. At a press conference at the 2020 virtual meeting of the College of American Pathologists (CAP), specialists noted that while autopsies – the gold standard for cause of death – can’t be performed on everyone, national totals for COVID-19 deaths probably come close to an accurate count.”

 

LTC Comment:   For more on dying of or with Covid-19 and why it matters for the long-term care business, see “LTC Bullet: Dying with or of Covid and the Double Whammy of a Second Wave in the Coming Flu Season.” In a nutshell, follow the money.