The case for counting multiple causes of death in the COVID-19 era.

This article highlights the need to consider multiple causes of death during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the focus has been on COVID-19, other causes of death, such as cardiovascular diseases, have received less attention. The pandemic has had both direct and indirect effects on non-COVID-19 mortality, including long-term complications, strain on hospital resources, and reduced disease screening. The World Health Organization has provided guidelines for coding COVID-19 deaths on death certificates, prioritizing it as the underlying cause of death. However, this approach may alter mortality trends for other causes and lead to a misleading perception of their severity. Ongoing research is being conducted to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on other causes of death, and the use of multiple causes of death analysis is recommended for a more comprehensive understanding. [Extracted from the article]