Coroner finds more COVID-19 related deaths

The death toll from COVID-19 has risen in Barbados with the discovery of another 43 COVID-19-related deaths which occurred within the last six months.

Chief Medical Officer The Most Honourable Dr Kenneth George disclosed the additional deaths were confirmed by the Coroner’s Office after tests were conducted on persons who died suddenly in the community.

The tests were done on suspicion that those deaths may have been attributed to COVID-19.

“These persons died in communities across Barbados before being tested or assessing appropriate care. The total number of COVID-related deaths, therefore, as of the 28th of March, stands at 374,” Dr George said at a press conference on Wednesday.

The policy of the Coroner’s Office is to rule out COVID-19 as the likely cause of death since autopsies cannot be performed on persons who are known to have died from or with COVID-19.

However, Dr George stressed that in all cases, the primary cause of death may not have been COVID-19 but that diagnosis was found at the time of death.
(SD)