COVID-19 Death Determination Methods, Minnesota, USA, 2020–2022

Autor: Lydia J. Fess, Ashley Fell, Siobhan O’Toole, Paige D’Heilly, Stacy Holzbauer, Leslie Kollmann, Amanda Markelz, Keeley Morris, Abbey Ruhland, Scott Seys, Elizabeth Schiffman, Haley Wienkes, Zachary Zirnhelt, Stephanie Meyer, Kathryn Como-Sabetti
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol 30, Iss 7, Pp 1352-1360 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1080-6040
1080-6059
DOI: 10.3201/eid3007.231522
Popis: Accurate and timely mortality surveillance is crucial for elucidating risk factors, particularly for emerging diseases. We compared use of COVID-19 keywords on death certificates alone to identify COVID-19 deaths in Minnesota, USA, during 2020–2022, with use of a standardized mortality definition incorporating additional clinical data. For analyses, we used likelihood ratio χ2 and median 1-way tests. Death certificates alone identified 96% of COVID-19 deaths confirmed by the standardized definition and an additional 3% of deaths that had been classified as non–COVID-19 deaths by the standardized definition. Agreement between methods was >90% for most groups except children, although agreement among adults varied by demographics and location at death. Overall median time from death to filing of death certificate was 3 days; decedent characteristics and whether autopsy was performed varied. Death certificates are an efficient and timely source of COVID-19 mortality data when paired with SARS-CoV-2 testing data.
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