Many of our listeners have made inquiries regarding the discrepancies in Covid-19 death statistics between the numbers provided by the Southern Seven Health Department and the Illinois Department of Public Health.
During the pandemic we have noted at WMOK that it is not uncommon for the numbers to vary and we asked Shawnna Rhine of the Southern Seven Health Department to explain how this happens.
The explanation is a logical one – the discrepancies are caused by the flow in which the information is processed. Rhine advised that the death statistics are first reported to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The Illinois Department of Public Health then investigates the death to confirm that it was in fact caused by Covid-19. Shawnna used an example to help clarify. For example – if a patient comes to the hospital due to a heart attack which proves to be fatal, but during testing it has been found that the patient also had Covid – the IDPH digs deeper into the case to confirm whether the patient died of Covid OR the heart condition.
Upon confirming the numbers with which they are provided, the IDPH then releases the data to the regional and county health departments throughout the state.
When the death statistics are received (in our case) by the Southern Seven Health Department they then have a series of tasks that they must complete before releasing the data. Two of those steps being to contact the family and be certain that they are aware that the death was Covid related and then embark on contact tracing to contact anyone with whom the decedent had contact during the time in which they would have been contagious.
Currently (9/20/21) there have been a total of 44 deaths due to Covid-19 in Massac County since the pandemic began according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
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