MEMBERS
MEMBERS ARE SAYING THAT THAT IS NOT RIGHT AND IT IS MISLEADING.
>>> 81-YEAR-OLD FRED WAS
DIAGNOSED WITH STAGE IV COLON
CANCER AT THE END OF JUNE.
DOCTORS GAVE HIM 30 DAYS.
THE NEWPORT MAN DIED AT THE END
OF JULY.
OF JULY.
OF JULY. HE WAS IN HOSPICE CARE AND
AVENUE NERI REHABILITATION
FACILITY IN NEWPORT.
>>> WE GIVE HIM IT WILL BE
TODAY.
TODAY.
TODAY. >>
TODAY. >> Reporter: HER DAUGHTER SAID
FRED HAD ALSO TESTED POSITIVE
FOR COVID AROUND THE SAME TIME
OF HIS CANCER DIAGNOSIS.
HE WAS ASYMPTOMATIC.
AND TESTED BEFORE MEDICAL
PROCEDURE.
PROCEDURE. >>> HE HAD NO SYMPTOMS.
HE WASN'T EVEN QUARANTINED.>>
Reporter: TO THE FAMILY THEIR
FATHER DIED FROM ADVANCED
CANCER.
CANCER.
CANCER. THEY CONSIDERED FRED RECOVERED
FROM COVID.
FROM COVID. BUT A FEW DAYS AFTER HIS DEATH
LICKING COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH
REPORTED HIM AS THEIR NINTH
COVID DEATH.
COVID DEATH. THEY NOW HAVE 10 DEATHS.
>>> THAT IS NOT WHAT HE DIED
FROM.
FROM.
FROM. HE
FROM. HE DIED FROM COLON CANCER NOT
THE COVID.
THE COVID. PLACES ARE LISTING LOVED ONES
AS COVID DEATHS.
THERE LABELING THAT.
IT IS NOT TRUE.
I THINK THEY ARE OVER INFLATING
NUMBERS.
NUMBERS.
NUMBERS. I FEEL SORRY FOR THE PEOPLE
THAT ARE LISTED COVID DEATH.
ABOUT TO RHONDA HE DIED WITH
COVID NOT FROM COVID.
AND THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.
IN OREGON I LEARNED THE STATE
COUNTS BOTH AS A COVID DEATH.
THE OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY
CONSIDERS COVID DEATHS TO BE
DEATHS IN WHICH A PATIENT
HOSPITALIZED FOR ANY REASON
WITHIN 14 DAYS OF A POSITIVE
COVID 19 TEST RESULT DIES IN
THE HOSPITAL OR WITHIN A 60
DAYS FOLLOWING DISCHARGE.
OR DEATHS IN WHICH COVID 19 IS
LISTED AS A PRIMARY OR
CONTRIBUTING CAUSE OF DEATH ON
A DEATH CERTIFICATE.
ACCORDING TO THE OHA THEY DO
THIS BEFORE BECAUSE COVID CAN
HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ON HEALTH
PROBLEMS.
PROBLEMS.
PROBLEMS. AND TO TRACK THE SPREAD OF THE
DISEASE.
DISEASE.
DISEASE. I QUESTIONS.
I QUESTIONS. REMEMBER THE STATES THAT ANY
REASON.
REASON.
REASON. IF A PERSON DIED IN A CAR
ACCIDENT FROM ALCOHOL POISONING
OR A GUNSHOT WOUND AND HAD
COVID WITH THAT BE CONSIDER A
COVID DEATH?
COVID DEATH? ACCORDING TO THE OHA THE SHORT
ANSWER YES.
ANSWER YES. HERE IS THEIR SPOKESPERSON
JONATHAN.
JONATHAN.
JONATHAN. BASED ON OUR CRITERIA IF
SOMEONE WERE TO TEST POSITIVE
10 DAYS LATER GET INTO A
MOTORCYCLE CRASH.
MOTORCYCLE CRASH. THEY DIE.
THEY DIE.
THEY DIE. BUT THEY HAD COVID.
THAT WOULD BE LISTED AS A COVID
19 DEATH.
19 DEATH.
19 DEATH. >>> RIGHT.
>>> RIGHT. IT WOULD BE.
BUT AGAIN I HAVE TO GO BACK TO
THE POINT ABOUT HOW WE USE THIS
DATA WHICH IS TO HELP US TRACK
HOW COVID 19 IS SPREAD IN THE
COMMUNITY.
COMMUNITY. THAT IS A HUGE FACTOR.
WE ARE USING CENTERS FOR
DISEASE CONTROL GUIDANCE AND
TRACKING AND REPORTING DEATHS
THIS WAY.>> Reporter: THIS
EPIDEMIOLOGISTS CARLOS WITH THE
PSU H SCHOOL OF MEDICINE SAID
THIS IS NOT MISLEADING.
COVID EXACERBATES OTHER HEALTH
PROBLEMS.
PROBLEMS.
PROBLEMS. >>> ALL THIS CHRONIC DISEASE
NORMALLY YOU MIGHT OR MIGHT NOT
DIE.
DIE.
DIE. THE
DIE. THE FACT THAT YOU CONTRACTED
COVID 19 WHICH YOU ALREADY --
IT IS REASONABLE.
IT MIGHT BE A CASE WHEN THESE
THINGS DON'T MAKE SENSE LIKE A
ACCIDENT OR GUNSHOT.
FOR THE MOST PART THE CHRONIC
DISEASE PEOPLE ARE DYING FORM
THAT THEY HAD.
WERE AUGMENTED BY THE FACT THAT
THEY CONTRACTED THE VIRUS.>>
Reporter: THIS DOCTOR MEDICAL
EXPERT AGREES.
EXPERT AGREES. SHE EXPLAINS A PRINCIPAL IN
MEDICINE WHICH MEANS THE
SIMPLEST EXPLANATION IS MOST
LIKELY THE CORRECT ONE.
>>> IF YOU WANT TO BE VERY
CONSERVATIVE THEN THE RIGHT
THING TO DO IS ANYONE WHO TEST
POSITIVE FOR COVID AND DIES
GETS HOSPITALIZED OR HAS A BAD
OUTCOME YOU WANT TO SAY THAT IS
FROM COVID.
FROM COVID. THE CRITICISM FROM DOING IT
THAT WAY IS THAT NUMBER ONE YOU
ARE NOT OBVIOUSLY COUNTING THE
DEATHS CORRECTLY.
DEATHS CORRECTLY. NUMBER TWO A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE
SAYING THE HOSPITALS MAYBE
DOING IT IN A CYNICAL FASHION
TO GET MORE MONEY.
BECAUSE THEY ARE BEING
REIMBURSED ACCORDING TO HOW
MANY COVID DEATHS WE HAVE.
IN TOTALITY WE ARE
UNDERESTIMATING THE NUMBER OF
COVID DEPTH.
COVID DEPTH. THE CDC SET FOR EVERYONE CASE
THAT WE DIAGNOSE THERE IS
LIKELY 10 OUT THERE THAT WE
HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED.
>> Reporter: THE HEALTH
AUTHORITY DOES NOT RECEIVE
FEDERAL FUNDS BASED ON COVID
DEPTH.
DEPTH.
DEPTH. SOME FACILITIES MAY RECEIVE
SOME MONEY BASED ON MEDICARE
REIMBURSEMENT.
REIMBURSEMENT. BUT REMEMBER OREGON HAS LESS
THAN 400 DEATHS.
WE ARE NOT SEEING THE THOUSANDS
OF DEATHS IN PLACES LIKE
FLORIDA.
FLORIDA.
FLORIDA. SO THE FINANCIAL INSTANCE OF
THEORY ISN'T AS RELEVANT AND
OREGON.
OREGON.
OREGON. LET'S GET BACK TO HOW STATES
TRACK COVID DEATH.
THIS SAME THING HAPPEN IN
COLORADO.
COLORADO.
COLORADO. STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS WERE
COUNTING PEOPLE WHO DIED FROM
COVID AND WITH COVID AS THE
SAME THING.
SAME THING. THERE WAS SO MUCH BACKLASH THE
STATE CHANGED HOW THEY REPORTED
COVID DEATHS IN ONE DAY.
SEPARATING THEM INTO TWO
DISTINCT CATEGORIES.
DISTINCT CATEGORIES. DIED FROM COVID AND DIED WITH
COVID.
COVID.
COVID. >>> AS A CLINICIAN IN A
POSITION THAT KIND OF A
CLASSIFICATION MAKES A LOT MORE
SENSE TO ME.
THEN WE'VE GOT MORE GRANULARITY
ON THE DATA.
WE KNOW EXACTLY WHO IS DIRECTLY
RELATED TO COVID WHEREAS WHO
MAY HAVE JUST DIED WHILE BEING
INFECTED WITH COVID.
>>> WE DON'T HAVE 1000 DEATHS
A DAY.
A DAY.
A DAY. THE TOTAL IN OUR ENTIRE STATE
THERE ARE 386.
SO AS A SCIENTIST AS SOMEONE
WHO DEALS WITH THE DATA.
WOULDN'T IT BE RELATIVELY EASY
TO CREATE THAT SUBCATEGORY IF
YOU JUST HAVE 386 DEATHS COULD
YOU SEPARATE THE TWO?
THESE PEOPLE DIED FROM COVID.
THESE PEOPLE DIED AND TESTED
POSITIVE FOR COVID.
>>> YES.
>>> YES.
>>> YES. THIS BECOMES MORE CHALLENGING
WHEN THE NUMBER OF CASES GOES
UP.
UP.
UP. IF
UP. IF YOU HAVE 386 DEATHS IT IS
MUCH MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD TO
TRY TO CLASSIFY WHO DIED WITH
COVID AND WHO DIED AT THE IS A
DIRECT RESULT.
DIRECT RESULT. >> Reporter: HEALTH AUTHORITY
HAS NO PLANS TO CHANGE THEIR
SYSTEM.
SYSTEM.
SYSTEM. OR SEPARATE DEATH INTO TWO
DIFFERENT CATEGORIES.
DIFFERENT CATEGORIES. RHONDA HOPES THEY RECONSIDER.
IF SOMEBODY GETS HIT IN A
MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT AND DIED
FROM INJURIES FROM A MOTORCYCLE
INJURIES NOT COVID.
JUST LIKE THE THOUSAND PEOPLE
THAT DIED THAT DAY IN FLORIDA.
THEY ARE CALLING IT ALL COVID
DEATHS.
DEATHS.
DEATHS. BUT HE DIED OF A HEART ATTACK
OR NATURAL CAUSES.
THEY ALL DIED OF COVID ONE DAY.
>>> I DO WANT TO POINT OUT WE
INTERVIEWED THE FAMILY OF A 26-
YEAR-OLD MAN WHO WAS LISTED AS
A COVID DEATH.
WE INTERVIEWED THEM YESTERDAY.
HIS TEST CAME BACK NEGATIVE.
THERE ARE OTHER FAMILIES ACROSS
THE STATE REALLY QUESTIONING
HOW THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS WERE
LISTED OR WHY THEY WERE LISTED
AS COVID DEATHS.
>>> WE HAVE SOME VIEWERS
QUESTIONING OUR REPORT.
WE HAVE BEEN GETTING A LITTLE
BIT OF PUSHBACK FROM SOME
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. I
PEOPLE. I WANT TO READ A COMMENTS FROM
FACEBOOK.
FACEBOOK.
FACEBOOK. FROM TAMMY.
FROM TAMMY. SHE SAID GREAT IDEA.
FUELED THAT IDEA THAT THIS
VIRUS IS NOT AS BAD AS EVERYONE
IS MAKING IT OUT TO BE.
EXCELLENT RESPONSIBLE CHOICE.
I'M WONDERING WHAT YOUR
THOUGHTS ARE.
THOUGHTS ARE. >>> SENSING SARCASM.
IF YOU HAVE WATCHED EVEN 10
SECONDS OF ANY KGW NEWSCAST
SINCE MARCH YOU KNOW THAT WE
KNOW HOW SERIOUS COVID IS.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT THAT.
THIS IS ABOUT HOW THE STATE IS
TRACKING AND REPORTING COVID
DEATHS.
DEATHS.
DEATHS. AND IF THAT IS THE