The Missing Deaths: Autopsies Uncover Hidden Victims From Early February
Year-Over-Year Data Reveal Uncounted
New information from two individuals who died at home in early- and mid-February suggest that the virus was likely circulating in the country earlier than officials thought. Meanwhile, a look at year-over-year fatality data reveals that there are likely thousands of COVID-19 deaths that aren't getting counted. Meanwhile, CDC Director Robert Redfield warns it's likely the winter surge will be worse because it will coincide with the flu season.
The New York Times: Santa Clara County Coronavirus Death Is First Known In U.S.
Officials in Santa Clara County, Calif., announced late Tuesday that two residents there died of the coronavirus in early and mid-February, making them the earliest known victims of the pandemic in the United States. The new information may shift the timeline of the virus’s spread through the country weeks earlier than previously believed. The first report of a coronavirus-related death in the United States came on Feb. 29 in the Seattle area, although officials there later discovered that two people who had died Feb. 26 also had the virus. (Fuller and Baker, 4/22)
Reuters: First U.S. Coronavirus Death Occurred In Early February In California
"The Medical Examiner-Coroner performed autopsies on two individuals who died at home on February 6, 2020 and February 17, 2020", Santa Clara County Public Health said in a statement. “Today, the Medical Examiner-Coroner received confirmation from the CDC that tissue samples from both cases are positive for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19)”, the statement added. (Singh, 4/22)
Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus: Bay Area Deaths In February Were First In U.S.
Dr. Jeff Smith, a physician who is the chief executive of Santa Clara County government, said earlier this month that data collected by the CDC, local health departments and others suggest it was “a lot longer than we first believed” — most likely since “back in December.” “This wasn’t recognized because we were having a severe flu season,” Smith said in an interview. “Symptoms are very much like the flu. If you got a mild case of COVID, you didn’t really notice. You didn’t even go to the doctor. The doctor maybe didn’t even do it because they presumed it was the flu.” (Hamilton, St. John and Lin, 4/21)
The New York Times: 28,000 Missing Deaths: Tracking The True Toll Of The Coronavirus Crisis
At least 28,000 more people have died during the coronavirus pandemic over the last month than the official Covid-19 death counts report, a review of mortality data in 11 countries shows — providing a clearer, if still incomplete, picture of the toll of the crisis. In the last month, far more people died in these countries than in previous years, The New York Times found. The totals include deaths from Covid-19 as well as those from other causes, likely including people who could not be treated as hospitals became overwhelmed. (Wu and McCann, 4/21)
The New York Times: State By State: Comparing Coronavirus Death Rates Across U.S.
Since the first confirmed case, the coronavirus has spread to all 50 states, claiming the lives of Americans coast to coast.
This week, several Southern governors announced that they would ease restrictions on businesses. ....