Poli (Sigh): Remington Says Determining Cause Of Deaths Often A Judgment Call
By Dan Spalding
InkFreeNews
You’ve heard the claims, read the memes and probably even wondered if the conspiracy over pandemic testing is true.
So is it true? Are medical officials marking down COVID-19 as the cause of death in willy-nilly fashion just to drive up the virus stats to scare us into wearing masks?
Conspiracy lovers suggest the government is trying to drive up COVID death figures by lumping in deaths not directly caused by the killer virus.
Not the case, says Kosciusko County Health Officer Dr. William Remington, who was asked about that during a news conference Wednesday at Warsaw City Hall.
Remington was asked specifically how officials determine the cause of death if the deceased happens to have tested positive for COVID-19 and had other significant health issues. Turns out its a bit more earnest and complicated than some seem to believe, according to Remington.
Remington said it comes down to clinical judgment in determining the main reason somebody died.
“If you feel COVID is the primary event, that would be your lead diagnosis on the death certificate,” Remington said. “If you feel the death is primarily because of COPD or diabetes or congestive heart failure, and COVID was a minor issue – if that’s the honest discretion of the clinician, they would complete the death certificate in a different way.”
So one must ask: What would be the reason for a doctor to choose COVID as the cause of death when it was not the lead cause? I personally do not think the medical community is in cahoots with the federal government.
I’ll take the insights of health professionals every time over those thoughts offered by Facebook trolls who spew memes left and right.
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ANTI-MASK MANDATE RALLY – Folks up in Elkhart County are planning an anti-mask rally for 3 p.m. Monday at the courthouse in Goshen.
Or should it be a celebration, since Gov. Eric Holcomb chose to take the teeth out of his executive order over enforcement after an uproar from conservatives who contend the mandate is unconstitutional?
Indiana is now among 30 states to enact some kind of mask mandate as the country continues to see spikes across much of the south and west.
An organizer of the Goshen protest on Facebook called the move by the governor an overreach of government. “Mandatory masks and restrictions are destroying businesses and lives while creating division in our communities,” the post read in part.
“We plan to protest peacefully, honoring our honorable police officers while advocating for your right to choose to wear a mask or not. We are not shaming wearing masks – we support the decision to choose,” the statement said.
ELECTION COUNTDOWN – As of Saturday, July 25, there are now 101 days until the Nov. 3 election. The deadline to register in Indiana is Oct. 5. You can register online here.
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Dan Spalding is the editor at InkFreeNews.com.
He covers city government and politics and always welcomes your input.
He can be reached at [email protected] or at (574) 855-7612.