Death Due to COVID-19

• A COVID-19 death is defined for surveillance purposes as any death resulting from a clinically compatible illness in a suspected, probable or confirmed COVID-19 case, unless there is a clear alternative cause of death that cannot be related to COVID-19 (e.g. trauma). There should be no period of complete recovery from COVID-19 between illness and death.
• A death due to COVID-19 may not be attributed to another disease (e.g. cancer) and should be counted independently of pre-existing conditions that are suspected of triggering a severe course of COVID-19.
• Deaths due to COVID-19 are different from COVID-19 related (or COVID-19 associated) deaths. These may be deaths due to accidental or incidental causes, or natural causes when COVID-19 is not identified as the underlying cause of death.