Deaths incorrectly attributed to COVID-19 in Palm Beach County

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A 60-year-old man who died from a gun shot wound to the head.

A 90-year-old man who fell and died from complications of a hip fracture.

A 77-year-old woman who died of Parkinson’s disease.

These are some of the deaths in Palm Beach County recently, and incorrectly, attributed to COVID-19 in medical examiner records.

The CBS12 News I-Team uncovered several examples in Medical Examiner reports of people counted as a COVID death who did not die of COVID.

We requested a list of all COVID-19 deaths in Palm Beach County from the Medical Examiner’s office and received a spread sheet of 581 cases.

Each person on the spreadsheet is someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

In each case line, the person’s cause of death and contributing causes of death are listed, if there are any.

The I-Team found eight cases in which a person was counted as a COVID death, but did not have COVID listed as a cause of contributing cause of death.

“I think it is completely misleading,” said Rachel Eade, a Palm Beach County resident who has been researching the same issue.

“We need to remove those cases that are not COVID exclusive, and we need to be giving people that information,” said Eade, who is one of the plaintiffs suing Palm Beach County for its mask mandate.