COVID-19 deaths in Massachusetts to drop under new counting method

The number of deaths in Massachusetts attributed to COVID-19 is expected to decline by nearly 4,000 because the state is adopting a new method of counting deaths that public health officials said more accurately reflects the pandemic’s impact.

The state’s current COVID-19 death definition includes not just those who had the disease listed as a cause of death on their death certificate, but also anyone who had a COVID-19 diagnosis within 60 days of their death, the state Department of Public Health announced Thursday.

The updated definition reduces the time in the latter category from 60 days to 30 days.

The change is based on recommendations from the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists in collaboration with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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“In Massachusetts, our definition has consistently been broader than most other states,” state epidemiologist Dr. Catherine Brown said in a statement. “After a deep dive into our data and reviewing thousands of death certificates we recognize that this updated definition gives us a truer picture of mortality associated with COVID-19.”

As a result, 4,081 deaths in Massachusetts that were previously counted as COVID-19 related will be removed, while about 400 deaths not previously counted but identified through a process of matching death certificates with medical records will be added, for an overall decline of about 3,700, the department said.

The number of confirmed and probable coronavirus deaths in the state was about 23,700 as of Thursday, according to department, which under the new counting method will drop to about 20,000 on Monday, Brown said. The department is still finalizing the new numbers.