How many people have died due to COVID-19? SLO County reclassifies death after investigation
San Luis Obispo County officials have reclassified a death of a local resident that was previously considered coronavirus-related, according to a Thursday news release sent by the county Office of Emergency Services.
The total number of coronavrius-related deaths has been revised to reflect that 15, not 16 county residents, have died due to the virus, the release said.
“We looked further into all reported COVID-19 related deaths because it became known that the circumstances of at least one case was not as clear as the others,” county public health officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said in the release. “This pandemic is ever-evolving, and we will continue to refine our information as we learn more.”
After further investigation, the county determined that a death tied to Vineyard Hills Health Center, a skilled nursing facility in Templeton, was not a result of COVID-19 as originally reported, according to the release.
Vineyard Hills Health Center is experiencing an outbreak of coronavirus cases., and several residents have died due to COVID-19.
However, the county determined that the person in the reclassified case was already in their final stages of life before they contracted coronavirus.
In accordance with national standards, the county said people who are positive with coronavirus are only considered to be a COVID-19 death if COVID-19 is listed on the death certificate as at least one of the underlying causes of death.
Deaths where it is unclear if COVID-19 was an underlying condition are not listed as coronavirus deaths, according to the release.
According to county public health department spokesperson Michelle Shoresman, what goes on the death certificate is determined by the person’s treating physician, not the county.
This story was originally published August 6, 2020 at 5:19 PM.
