COVID-19 death 'over-counting' expected as B.C. switches reporting systems
The B.C. government’s new weekly system of reporting COVID-19 data will include an "over-counting" of coronavirus-related deaths, according to health officials.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the weekly reports will be generated automatically, and feature a count of every person who died while coronavirus-positive over the preceding 30 days.
"We'll be transitioning to a new way of reporting people who've died from COVID, and it's going to be looking at 30-day all-cause mortality," Henry said at a modelling presentation Tuesday.
"That means we will be over-counting people early on."
Under B.C.'s current system of releasing pandemic data every weekday, public health teams are responsible for manually investigating each death to determine if COVID-19 was a factor. This has led to a number of data corrections over the course of the crisis, as teams struggled to keep up with narrow reporting windows.
Henry said the government will still work to separate coronavirus-related deaths from those in which someone was incidentally infected with COVID-19, but the process will take longer – weeks or months, in some cases, as causes of death are confirmed through Vital Statistics.
Henry said once information comes in, the province's death toll will be "updated on a rolling basis."
"That gives us a more accurate picture of all-cause impacts from COVID-19," she added.
She warned the public to expect a jump in COVID-19 deaths early in the transition, which is happening this Thursday.
The previously announced change to weekly reporting has been met with pushback, and renewed concerns about government transparency during the pandemic.
B.C. Green Leader Sonia Furstenau slammed the province Tuesday for offering less data at a time when the Omicron subvariant BA.2 has already fuelled increases in transmission and hospitalizations.
"This government is desperate to maintain its narrative around its management of this pandemic, and is doing so by limiting testing, monitoring, and reporting. They have closed down community monitoring at the beginning of a sixth wave," Furstenau said in a statement.
“We have seen in other jurisdictions, like Peterborough, Ont., for example, where data transparency and public guidance are the focus of a responsible public health body. It is not an impossible task for this government to provide clear guidance to the public on what level of risk they are at.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza's vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife's edge.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.