COVID-19 deaths are to be reported to the Medical Officer of Health as soon as possible in accordance with the Health Protection and Promotion Act (HPPA) R.R.O. 1990, and Regulation 569.
Use this link in order to report a death if you are the coroner, acute care facility or congregate living facility (including LTCH/Retirement/Group home) using information from the Medical Certificate of Death. If you have questions about this form, please contact the WECHU's Infectious Disease Prevention Department at 519-258-2146 x 1420.
A death should be reported as COVID-19 related only when there is no clear alternative cause of death (e.g., trauma, drug toxicity, or another natural disease process), the individual tested positive for COVID-19, did not have another clinically compatible illness, and one of the following applies:
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The case was still symptomatic or infected at the time of death.
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The case was experiencing ongoing complications or residual effects from COVID-19.
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The case was a child experiencing multi-system inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), which can occur after initial COVID-19 symptoms have resolved.
Again, when there was a clear alternative cause of death, e.g,, trauma, drug toxicity, other natural death process, at a time that the person was COVID-19 test positive but did not have a clinically compatible illness, COVID-19 should not be provided as the Immediate or Antecedent cause of death and you do not need to complete this form.
How should fatalities among COVID-19 cases be classified?
COVID was the underlying cause of death: Select this value if COVID-19 was the immediate or antecedent/underlying cause in the chain of events leading to death. If COVID-19 was the underlying cause of death, COVID-19 will be specified in one of the lines of Part I of Section 11 of the Cause of Death section of the Medical Certificate of Death.
COVID-19 contributed but was not the underlying cause of death: Select this value if the death was due to pre-existing conditions or new conditions that were exacerbated by COVID-19, but COVID-19 was not in the chain of events leading to death. If COVID-19 contributed to death, but was not the underlying cause, COVID-19 will be specified in Part II of Section 11 of the Cause of Death section of the Medical Certificate of Death.
