Report: Coronavirus deaths in Mass. likely undercounted
“We are absolutely undercounting COVID-19 deaths, there is not a doubt in my mind about that.”
Related Links
The number of Massachusetts residents who have died from coronavirus is likely much higher than the numbers documented by state officials, the Boston Globe reports.
A review by the newspaper found that the number of deaths in Massachusetts for the month of March increased by 11 percent over the average seen for the last 20 years. The rise in deaths, during a month when the state saw a drop in fatal accident accidents and suicides, suggests that coronavirus fatalities started before the extent of the outbreak was apparent and an undercounting of official virus deaths by the state, according to the Globe.
An average of 5,049 people have died each March in Massachusetts since 1999, the newspaper reports. But in March 2020, the number of deaths reported spiked to 5,578. Only 89 fatalities were attributed to the coronavirus through the end of March.
“We are absolutely undercounting COVID-19 deaths, there is not a doubt in my mind about that,” Michael Mina, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, told the Globe. “And if we undercount deaths, we deflate fatality rates.”
The number of people who died at home in the state in March 2020 was 32 percent higher than the 20-year average, according to the newspaper.
Governor Charlie Baker’s administration told the Globe in a statement that the state is reviewing death certificate data back to March 1 to make sure the extent of the COVID-19 fatalities are accounted for.
“The department will continue to update numbers and investigate COVID cases as far back as the data suggests,” the statement said.
Read the full report from Globe.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com