Grand County (Colorado) Coroner Raises Concern On Deaths Among COVID Cases
GRAND COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) – The Grand County coroner is calling attention to the way the state health department is classifying some deaths. The coroner, Brenda Bock, says two of their five deaths related to COVID-19 were people who died of gunshot wounds.
Bock says because they tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 30 days, they were classified as “deaths among cases.”
The state health department says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requires them to report people who’ve died with COVID-19 in their systems because it’s crucial for public health surveillance.
Colorado provides death data related to COVID-19 in two ways:
- Deaths due to COVID-19:
- This is based on CDC coding of death certificates where COVID-19 is listed as the cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death.
- Deaths among COVID-19 cases:
- This reflects people who died with COVID-19, but COVID-19 may not have been the cause of death listed on the death certificate.
CDPHE explains that they are required to report deaths among COVID-19 cases to the CDC.
“This information is required by the CDC and is crucial for public health surveillance, as it provides more information about disease transmission and can help identify risk factors among all deaths across populations,” stated CDPHE on its Frequently Asked Questions page.