Dual Dove
An individual who died in a fatal motorcycle accident was put on Florida’s COVID-19 death count, a state health official discovered.
FOX 35 News found this out after asking Orange County Health Officer Dr. Raul Pino if the two victims of the crash who were in their 20s had any underlying coronavirus conditions. His answer, “He died in a motorcycle accident,” shocked those who heard it.
Put on the List of COVID Deaths
Dr. Pino was then asked if and why the man’s data was not removed from the list.
“I don’t think so. I have to double-check,” Pino said. “We were arguing, discussing, or trying to argue with the state. Not because of the numbers – it’s 100… it doesn’t make any difference if it’s 99 – but the fact that the individual didn’t die from COVID-19… he died in the crash.”
When FOX 35 News checked later, on the two people were still on Orange County’s data list for coronavirus deaths.
Ridiculous….why can’t numbers be reported accurately? No wonder we can’t trust government. Medical records should be factual.
— Bill Francis (@bcfrancis1967) July 17, 2020
What if this is an instance of a contradiction to how the state is counting deaths?
Earlier last week, the Florida Department of Health tried to explain for the news portal that a ‘COVID death’ is determined if ‘COVID-19 is listed as the immediate or underlying cause of death, or listed as one of the significant conditions contributing to death. Or, if there is a confirmed COVID-19 infection from a lab test – and the cause of death doesn’t meet exclusion criteria – like trauma, suicide, homicide, overdose, motor-vehicle accident, etc.’
Dr. Pino said: “The only thing that I can say to people is the data I provide you with is the data we consume from the state. We offer you the best data that we have.”
According to Dr. Pino, the medical examiner is the one that certifies all COVID-19 deaths, and which has not commented on the issue yet.
On Saturday, however, Kent Donahue, from Dr. Pino’s office, said that the motorcyclist’s death ‘was reviewed, and he was taken off the list for COVID fatalities.’ Also, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Health in Orange County said the death was ‘reviewed and removed,’ but ‘he didn’t know exactly when.’
FOX 35 checked and said the death is no longer counted. However, we have to ask: is this the first time this happens? If this is the way the state fills the lists of COVID-19 deaths, we’re screwed, literally, because it means the lists are not authentic.
