[tightbookkeeper]

How is the cause of death determined for 250k people?

EDIT: I got curious and looked up the CDC guidelines https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvss/vsrg/vsrg03-508.pdf

> based on sound medical judgment drawn from clinical training and experience, as well as knowledge of current disease states and local trends

> the disease or injury which initiated the train of morbid events leading directly to death

It goes on to suggest that if Covid was present they strongly recommend including it. And even if you did not diagnose Covid it can be a good assumption to make.

[robertlagrant]

There were upper and lower bound stats that accounted for many discrepancies. The high numbers were "death with covid", which means the covid might not've done it, and the low numbers were "death by covid" where we were (fairly) sure Covid did it due to lack of other factors, but missed things where Covid tipped someone over the edge.

[tightbookkeeper]

That sounds right. Based on my reading the CDC numbers are basically death with Covid test or symptoms, with the exception of an obvious distinct cause.

Which honestly I can’t think of a better way for mass data collection.