COVID-19 Death Certificates
By Peter Tocci
Recent reports claim that death certificates for COVID-19 require no proof that the virus is the cause.
Far be it from this conspiratorialist to come to the defense of the centers for disease creation and continuation, but I always say, ‘let’s just have the truth. No need for making cases.’ A look at three CDC pages shows the claim to be patently false.
The first page is under the CDC’s department of health statistics “National Vital Statistics System” is Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Death Data and Reporting Guidance
A short way down the page is NVSS COVID-19 Formal Reporting Guidance, which provides a link to Guidance for Certifying Deaths Due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19) pdf icon[PDF – 292 KB] How to report cause of death on death certificates for cases involving COVID-19. It’s not too lengthy at 2 pages, and a read-through is quite instructive.
Widget not in any sidebars
Much is left to the discretion of local and state health officials, but the “Submission” Guidance is very clear on what to do in three scenarios:
Recommended Postmortem Specimens
Recommendations about the type of postmortem specimens to collect vary based on whether the case of COVID-19 is suspected or confirmed, as well as whether an autopsy is performed.
The following factors should be considered when determining if an autopsy will be performed for a deceased known or suspected COVID-19 case: medicolegal jurisdiction, facility environmental controls, availability of recommended personal protective equipment (PPE), and family and cultural wishes.
If an autopsy is performed for a suspected COVID-19 case, collection of the following postmortem specimens is recommended:
- Postmortem swab specimens for COVID-19 testing:
- Upper respiratory tract swab: Nasopharyngeal Swab (NP swab)
- Lower respiratory tract swab: Lung swab from each lung
- Separate swab specimens for testing of other respiratory pathogens and other postmortem testing, as indicated
- Formalin-fixed autopsy tissues from lung, upper airway, and other major organs
If an autopsy is NOT performed for a suspected COVID-19 case, collection of the following postmortem specimens is recommended:
- Postmortem Nasopharyngeal Swab (NP swab) specimen for COVID-19 testing
- Separate NP swab for testing of other respiratory pathogens
If an autopsy is performed for a confirmed COVID-19 case, collection of the following postmortem specimens should be considered:
- Postmortem swab specimens for testing of other respiratory pathogens,
- Other postmortem microbiologic and infectious disease testing, as indicated
- Formalin-fixed autopsy tissues from lung, upper airway, and other major organs
In addition to postmortem specimens, any remaining specimens (e.g., NP swab, sputum, serum, stool) that may have been collected prior to death should be retained.
Provisions are made in a sidebar on the right for sending samples to the CDC for confirmation in suspected/uncertain cases. The bottom line is that uncertain cases remain in a ‘pending’ status until it’s clear one way or the other by testing.
It also says, just above the above Specimens title:
There are epidemiologic (sic) factors that may also help guide decisions about COVID-19 testing, such as documented COVID-19 infections in a jurisdiction, known community transmission, contact with a known COVID-19 case, or being a part of a cluster of respiratory illness in a closed setting (e.g., a long-term care facility). Testing for other causes of respiratory illness (e.g., influenza) is strongly encouraged (emphasis added). Thus we see that differential diagnosis is included.
Of course, “testing” is where some important questions come in. This is discussed in some detail in the “Testing” section (surprise:-) of Coronavirus — 2019-nCoV — Coronavirus 2 — SARS-CoV-2. Old Angles Reviewed. Uncommon Angles Offered.
Peter Tocci is a retired massage therapist and wellness consultant with an abiding interest in exploring ‘managed’ history, nefarious covert agendas, and mainstream/mainstream-alternative news-media dereliction, distortion and suppression.
Image: Pixabay
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