Recalculating Coronavirus Death Toll: Coroners Asked To Investigate Deaths As Far Back As December
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Coroners across California are scrambling after Santa Clara County announced a positive coronavirus test in one of their deceased residents.
Governor Gavin Newsom's office is now asking counties to dig deeper into causes of death even though coroners say that task is much easier said than done.
"There's a whole host of factors that come into play and would make that a complicated process to complete," Sgt. Luke Schwartz with the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department said.
The governor's request comes after Santa Clara County received test results from the CDC proving the first coronavirus-related death in the U.S. happened much earlier than we previously thought.
Originally, the first U.S. coronavirus-related death was reported in Washington state on Feb. 29, and the first death in California was in Placer County on March 4. It turns out the first U.S. death was actually weeks earlier, on February 4, in Santa Clara County.
Several counties in Northern California have been screening the dead for months.
"We've tested 28 decedents so far. Twenty-five have tested negative we're still waiting for results on three of them," Sacramento County public information officer Samantha Mott said.
They say there are major roadblocks to large-scale testing including not have access to remains due to cremation or lack of cooperation from families.
