Re: Covid-19: “Staggering number” of extra deaths in community is not explained by covid-19
Dear Editor,
Can we really claim,without further investigation, that none of these excess deaths cannot be attributed to covid19? Underreporting must be suspected because lack of testing left doctors with a difficult decision :
1) As another responder points out there were early reports of GPs being reluctant to record covid19 on the death certificate https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8229169/How-elderly-Britons-car....
2) At least one hospital trust suggested pneumonia was adequate cause on a death certificate in a suspected covid-19 case . https://inews.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-covid-19-patients-death-cert...
Finally, The BMJ points out the low sensitivity of the RT-PCR covid-19 test which means that 30% of patients with covid-19 will test negative. This likely led to considerable underreporting of covid-19 cases? https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1808?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=...
Rapid Response:
Re: Covid-19: “Staggering number” of extra deaths in community is not explained by covid-19
Dear Editor,
Can we really claim,without further investigation, that none of these excess deaths cannot be attributed to covid19? Underreporting must be suspected because lack of testing left doctors with a difficult decision :
1) As another responder points out there were early reports of GPs being reluctant to record covid19 on the death certificate https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8229169/How-elderly-Britons-car....
2) At least one hospital trust suggested pneumonia was adequate cause on a death certificate in a suspected covid-19 case .
https://inews.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-covid-19-patients-death-cert...
Finally, The BMJ points out the low sensitivity of the RT-PCR covid-19 test which means that 30% of patients with covid-19 will test negative. This likely led to considerable underreporting of covid-19 cases?
https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1808?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=...
Competing interests: No competing interests