A line in a CDC update stated that “6% of all COVID deaths listed COVID as the sole cause of death,” has sparked a social media uproar.
News Center 7′s Mike Campbell spoke with a Miami Valley doctor on what the statement really mean versus the online claims.
“The 6% proves exactly what everyone has been saying.” said Dr. Roberto Colon about the CDC statement.
Doctor Colon has been in the thick of treating COVID-19 patients at Miami Valley Hospital for 6 months and supports the new statement from the CDC.
“The people that are more likely to die have another pre-existing condition,” explained Dr. Colon.
Colon says he is amazing at the feeding frenzy, and exaggerations, that the statement has sparked on social media. He explained that the CDC was trying to categorize COVID deaths and how they are listed and defined on death certificates.
Dr. Colon gave the example of a patient who is diagnosed with COVID, is hospitalized with respiratory failure and then is placed on ventilator that causes them to develop a secondary infection like sepsis and die.
Sepsis killed the patient but it was COVID that caused what is referred to as sequential medical conditions.
“We need to highlight that this is complex and is likely to be fatal if you have medical problem,” said Dr. Colon.
Doctors are stressing that we should be emphasizing testing and tracking more than ever.