On Thursday, a Florida health official told a local news station that a young man who was listed as a COVID-19 victim had no underlying conditions.
The answer surprised reporters, who probed for additional information.
“He died in a motorcycle accident,” Dr. Raul Pino clarified. “You could actually argue that it could have been the COVID-19 that caused him to crash. I don’t know the conclusion of that one.”
The anecdote is a ridiculous example of a real controversy that has inspired some colorful memes: what should define a COVID-19 death?
While the question is important, such incidents may be just the tip of the proverbial iceberg regarding the unreliability of COVID-19 data.
Hellbound and Down 