CORONAVIRUS IN ONE STATE (131) (Things Covid in Minnesota)
POSTED ON NOVEMBER 25, 2020 BY SCOTT JOHNSON
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2020/11/coronavirus-in-one-state-131.phpFollowing the settlement of my lawsuit with department officials, I emailed the first three questions I am entitled to submit each week that Walz continues to exercise dictatorial powers under his original March emergency order. Yesterday afternoon I received the department’s answers to the first set of questions. Here are the questions and answers:
Question 1: Will you please provide data detailing the co-morbidities present in all MN Covid deaths since April, including counts, by date, of deaths identified as Covid with no other conditions, one other condition (identified), two other conditions (identified), three other conditions (identified), and four or more other conditions?
Answer: MDH has not analyzed the data in this way and is not providing customized analysis of death records for reporters. However, death records are public; if you would like to have the comprehensive death database file to do your own analysis, it can be provided. That is how we have helped other media outlets that have asked for this kind of analysis.
Our definition of deaths, as explained on the Situation Update page, is:
· Total deaths with laboratory testing are deaths due to COVID-19 with:
A positive PCR test (confirmed case) or antigen test (probable case) for SARS-CoV-2 AND COVID-19 is listed on the death certificate
OR
Clinical history/autopsy findings that provide evidence that the death is related to COVID-19 without an alternative cause (i.e. drowning, homicide, trauma, etc.). This is consistent with the CDC definition:
· CDC: NNDSS Surveillance Case Definitions: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Other than what’s on the death certificate, we would only know about co-morbidities if the person had been hospitalized prior to death and was part of a subset of hospitalized cases that is part of a special study where we collect such information. Otherwise we don’t collect such information on hospitalized cases, persons who died in long term care facilities, or persons who die elsewhere. We don’t do a search of all their prior medical history. Of course, some persons will have underlying undiagnosed health conditions that go undetected unless an autopsy is performed.
There are multiple articles published in the medical literature describing co-morbidities and risk factors for mortality, so we do not have to replicate such studies.
Basically, the Minnesota Department of Health stated in the clear that if a person died who had tested positive or had symptoms common to Covid-19 but did not die of a clearly different cause, e.g. gunshot or car accident the State of Minnesota counted that death as a Covid death. Minnesota is probably not unique among US states in this ridiculously broad definition.
The only surprise to me is that the bureaucrats stated it clearly.
