OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington state health officials have removed homicides and suicides from reported COVID-19 deaths.
Seven deaths were taken off of the state’s official COVID-19 mortality count, including three homicides, two suicides and two overdoses.
In a statement, the DOH said it had been counting all people who died and tested positive for the disease as coronavirus deaths, but authorities say they have now removed deaths that were not caused specifically by the illness.
Going forward, authorities say they will be more specific about whether a death was caused by the virus or whether a person died of other causes.