A coroner in one Missouri county has admitted to removing COVID-19 as the cause of death on at least half a dozen death certificates, the Kansas City Star reports. The virus was reportedly left off the death certificate in cases where other factors could have been the main cause of death. “A lot of families were upset. They didn’t want COVID on the death certificates. I won’t lie for them, it’s gotta be true, but I do what pleases the family,” Macon County Coroner Brian Hayes was quoted telling the paper. This practice has brought down the county’s official COVID-19 death toll, which has in turn affected the statewide figures. Another Missouri coroner, Robert “Skip” Smith, described the practice as unethical. “In my personal opinion, a coroner shouldn’t be asking a family what they want on it. It’s not up to them.”
