Experts say US coronavirus death count is flawed, but close

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. is hitting a tragic milestone: 100,000 dead from the coronavirus. But is that number right?

The accuracy of U.S. coronavirus death count has been both a scientific and political issue. Some conservatives have suggested coronavirus deaths were being over-counted. Meanwhile, some researchers say the toll is far more likely to be higher than the count.

Here's a look at how deaths are being counted in the U.S.

THE NUMBERS

There is no U.S. coronavirus death count that is both current and complete.

The most recent death data is gathered through searches of preliminary reports doctors send to state and local health departments. Those numbers appear on different websites, including those of government agencies and some news organizations. One widely followed site is maintained by Johns Hopkins University researchers.

But those quick daily tallies ebb and flow for reasons unrelated to when deaths happen. For example, there are fewer reported deaths on weekends, when staffing is lower and fewer people are filing reports.

Still, they are reasonably accurate, said Robert Anderson of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

WHY IT'S COMPLICATED

Many people who died of coronavirus were older and already fragile, weakened by heart disease or some other malady. So ascribing a single cause can be challenging.

Experts believe the coronavirus has played an unrecognized role in many deaths — especially soon after the virus arrived in the U.S. That's in part because testing might not have been available, or because the virus was not thought to be spreading in an area.

“In the beginning of any epidemic, where physicians and health-care workers have less experience with a disease, they're more likely to miss it or misdiagnose it as something else”...