Counting COVID deaths are straightforward most times. This is because the lung will have much more weight. The extra weight is a result of fluid and cell detritus from the damaged lung tissues. The other ones are hard: “‘The challenge is knowing who died of COVID-19 versus who died with the virus that causes COVID-19,'” Faust told Live Science.
Is it underreporting or overreporting? Both are not good, but we cannot be perfect. Underreporting is bad because it allows people to be less scared of the virus, while there are many more people with coronavirus. Overreporting is bad because it may allow people to panic. “Both undercounts and overcounts of COVID-19 deaths are possible, Wolfson said, but it’s not yet clear which is more likely, or whether they might simply balance each other out. Fowkes said that based on her experience, it’s more likely that COVID-19 deaths are being missed than overcounted.”