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Looming Questions Over How Florida Tracks COVID-19 Related Deaths

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The number of COVID-19 related deaths in Florida has come into question recently — leaving many wondering how accurate the reporting process is.

The Florida Department of Health is currently reporting 4,805 deaths related to the Coronavirus, yet a man who died in a motorcycle accident was included in the death count, according to Fox 35 News.

Orange County Health Officer Dr. Raul Pino was questioned about two Coronavirus victims, who were in their 20s, and if they had any underlying medical conditions.

"The first one didn't have any. He died in a motorcycle accident," Pino said.

Despite being killed in a motorcycle crash, a man was counted as a COVID-19 victim because he tested positive for the virus.

Dr. Pino was also asked if the information on the motorcycle victim had been removed. 

"I don't think so. I have to double-check," Pino said. "We were arguing, discussing, or trying to argue with the state. Not because of the numbers — it's 100…it doesn't make any difference if it's 99 — but the fact that the individual didn't die from COVID-19…died in the crash."

"But you could actually argue that it could have been the COVID-19 that caused him to crash. I don't know the conclusion of that one," he added.

The fact remains that a victim was added to Orange County's list of Coronavirus deaths —  drawing attention to how the state is keeping track.

The Florida Department of Health told FOX 35 News that a COVID-19 death is identified if, "COVID19 is listed as the immediate or underlying cause of death, or listed as one of the significant conditions contributing to death. Or, if there is a confirmed COVID-19 infection from a lab test – and the cause of death doesn't meet exclusion criteria – like trauma, suicide, homicide, overdose, motor-vehicle accident, etc."

Dr. Pino notes that the distributed data comes from the state and is the best in terms of availability.

"The only thing that I can say to people is the data I provide you with is the data we consume from the state. We offer you the best data that we have," Dr. Pino concluded.

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About The Author

Andrea Morris
Andrea
Morris

Andrea Morris is a Features Producer for The 700 Club. She came to CBN in 2019 where she worked as a web producer in the news department for three years. Her passion was always to tell human interest stories that would touch the hearts of readers while connecting them with God. She transitioned into her new role with The 700 Club in August 2022.