Magen David Adom official: COVID-19 death toll may be higher than official count

An official from the Magen David Adom emergency service says the number of fatalities in Israel from coronavirus may be higher than the official toll of 171.

Dr. Rafael Strugo, the deputy director-general of MDA’s medical division, acknowledges to the Ynet news site that people could have died from the virus at their homes or assisted living centers without being tested and were therefore not included in the official count.

“An elderly person dies at a geriatric center, the nursing staff led by a doctor there declares the death and fills out a death notice. No one checked if [the deceased] died as a result of the coronavirus or if the virus complicated his preexisting conditions,” Strugo says.

He adds: “Also, not everyone who dies at a hospital has a coronavirus test done. Even there we don’t always know if coronavirus led to a deterioration in his health.”