California is poised to change the way it counts COVID-19 deaths based on a new algorithm that is being developed in conjunction with federal health authorities, according to a senior Los Angeles County official, who estimated that the current framework is overcounting COVID-19 fatalities by as much as 20 percent in the county. Dr. Barbara…

California is poised to change the way it counts COVID-19 deaths based on a new algorithm that is being developed in conjunction with federal health authorities, according to a senior Los Angeles County official, who estimated that the county’s current framework is overcounting COVID-19 fatalities by as much as 20 percent. Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director…

The Massachusetts Public Health Department announced Thursday that the state would lower its COVID-19 death count by 3,700 due to new measuring criteria being implemented. The department said in a statement the new death definition is following the guidance (pdf) of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control…

Statistics Canada says more than 19,000 Canadians lost their lives during COVID-19 than would have been expected had the pandemic never happened. The report highlights the deadly toll COVID-19 has taken directly and indirectly on Canadian lives. According to provisional data, approximately 19,488 more Canadians died between March 2020 and July 2021 than would have been expected. That’s 5.2 percent more deaths than if the pandemic never happened….

QUEBEC—A disorganized and poorly evaluated health system for seniors contributed to the high COVID-19 death toll in the province, according to Quebec’s health and welfare commissioner. Joanne Castonguay released her preliminary report Thursday about the state of the health and social services network for seniors on the eve of the pandemic. During the first months…

New York’s COVID-19 nursing death toll has soared after the administration of Gov. Andrew Cuomo released additional data after the state Supreme Court ordered its release following a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request. The new disclosure, released on Feb. 10, was prompted by a FOIL application by the Empire Center, a think tank. “Those revelations…