In Luxembourg, any patient who has contracted Covid-19 and dies is considered a "Covid death".
The virus does not necessarily have to be the single cause of death, according to international convention, which allows all countries to number their Covid deaths in the same way.
Dr Jean-Claude Schmit, Director of Health, explained a simple rule was required for a coherent global report.
Only an autopsy can determine whether a person has died of the coronavirus or whether they have died from another pathology while carrying the virus.
Performing autopsies for each case is not necessarily feasible, explained Dr Schmit, as this would require considerable resources. In many cases, the victim's family is often reluctant to conduct an autopsy, especially when it comes to the elderly. As a reminder, in the Grand Duchy, 90% of Covid victims were over 69 years old.
The Department of Health does recommend that Covid tests are carried out post-mortem; however, it is up to individual doctors to decide whether or not the tests are performed.
As the exact cause of death is not necessarily attributed to Covid, could this mean that the number of deaths is actually lower than the official Ministry figures? Not exactly - Dr Schmit cited a German study which conducted 150 autopsies, and said at least 85% of official deaths would be caused by Covid.
In Luxembourg, 85% of the death toll still accounts for 125 victims - which does not render the situation any less grave.
Video report in Luxembourgish:
