Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "COVID-19 pandemic death rates by country" in English language version.
Russia's case definition for a COVID-19 death, for example, relies solely on results from autopsy, unlike most European countries.6 Death must have been due directly to COVID-19, so it is not counted if a patient was found to have COVID-19 but it did not cause their death.6,7 This will lead to significant underreporting, especially as Russia has one of the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases worldwide and yet has a case fatality rate of only 1.7% as of 31 July 2020.3 Spain's definition requires a positive polymerase chain reaction or antibody test for COVID-19, with only hospital deaths included in the death count despite a significant number of deaths from COVID-19 in the community and care homes.8,9 Belgium, by contrast, has one of the broadest definitions for a COVID-19 death, including all suspected cases. Care home deaths in Belgium account for around half of all excess deaths, but only 26% of care home deaths were confirmed (rather than suspected) COVID-19,10 leading to possible overcounting relative to other countries.11
Under the assumption that the incidence of other diseases remains steady over time, then excess deaths can be viewed as those caused both directly and indirectly by COVID-19 and gives a summary measure of the 'whole system' impact. ... Despite this, when seeking to understand the full impact of deaths due to COVID-19 and explain why excess deaths vary, there is a need to distinguish the component parts – of direct COVID-19 and indirect, non-COVID-19 deaths.
Russia's case definition for a COVID-19 death, for example, relies solely on results from autopsy, unlike most European countries.6 Death must have been due directly to COVID-19, so it is not counted if a patient was found to have COVID-19 but it did not cause their death.6,7 This will lead to significant underreporting, especially as Russia has one of the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases worldwide and yet has a case fatality rate of only 1.7% as of 31 July 2020.3 Spain's definition requires a positive polymerase chain reaction or antibody test for COVID-19, with only hospital deaths included in the death count despite a significant number of deaths from COVID-19 in the community and care homes.8,9 Belgium, by contrast, has one of the broadest definitions for a COVID-19 death, including all suspected cases. Care home deaths in Belgium account for around half of all excess deaths, but only 26% of care home deaths were confirmed (rather than suspected) COVID-19,10 leading to possible overcounting relative to other countries.11
Under the assumption that the incidence of other diseases remains steady over time, then excess deaths can be viewed as those caused both directly and indirectly by COVID-19 and gives a summary measure of the 'whole system' impact. ... Despite this, when seeking to understand the full impact of deaths due to COVID-19 and explain why excess deaths vary, there is a need to distinguish the component parts – of direct COVID-19 and indirect, non-COVID-19 deaths.
Russia's case definition for a COVID-19 death, for example, relies solely on results from autopsy, unlike most European countries.6 Death must have been due directly to COVID-19, so it is not counted if a patient was found to have COVID-19 but it did not cause their death.6,7 This will lead to significant underreporting, especially as Russia has one of the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases worldwide and yet has a case fatality rate of only 1.7% as of 31 July 2020.3 Spain's definition requires a positive polymerase chain reaction or antibody test for COVID-19, with only hospital deaths included in the death count despite a significant number of deaths from COVID-19 in the community and care homes.8,9 Belgium, by contrast, has one of the broadest definitions for a COVID-19 death, including all suspected cases. Care home deaths in Belgium account for around half of all excess deaths, but only 26% of care home deaths were confirmed (rather than suspected) COVID-19,10 leading to possible overcounting relative to other countries.11
Under the assumption that the incidence of other diseases remains steady over time, then excess deaths can be viewed as those caused both directly and indirectly by COVID-19 and gives a summary measure of the 'whole system' impact. ... Despite this, when seeking to understand the full impact of deaths due to COVID-19 and explain why excess deaths vary, there is a need to distinguish the component parts – of direct COVID-19 and indirect, non-COVID-19 deaths.
Russia's case definition for a COVID-19 death, for example, relies solely on results from autopsy, unlike most European countries.6 Death must have been due directly to COVID-19, so it is not counted if a patient was found to have COVID-19 but it did not cause their death.6,7 This will lead to significant underreporting, especially as Russia has one of the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases worldwide and yet has a case fatality rate of only 1.7% as of 31 July 2020.3 Spain's definition requires a positive polymerase chain reaction or antibody test for COVID-19, with only hospital deaths included in the death count despite a significant number of deaths from COVID-19 in the community and care homes.8,9 Belgium, by contrast, has one of the broadest definitions for a COVID-19 death, including all suspected cases. Care home deaths in Belgium account for around half of all excess deaths, but only 26% of care home deaths were confirmed (rather than suspected) COVID-19,10 leading to possible overcounting relative to other countries.11
Under the assumption that the incidence of other diseases remains steady over time, then excess deaths can be viewed as those caused both directly and indirectly by COVID-19 and gives a summary measure of the 'whole system' impact. ... Despite this, when seeking to understand the full impact of deaths due to COVID-19 and explain why excess deaths vary, there is a need to distinguish the component parts – of direct COVID-19 and indirect, non-COVID-19 deaths.
