Quebec health authorities classify deaths as from COVID-19 even if the deceased who tested positive died from cancer or another disease, Quebec Director of Public Health Dr. Horacio Arruda told the media last week.
"Anytime, in Quebec, someone dies from cancer or another disease, if they have COVID-19 it will be counted as COVID-19," Arruda was quoted as saying. "That's not necessarily the case everywhere.
And Premier François Legault also told the media that his government chooses to overestimate COVID-19 deaths. This all calls into question exactly how many Quebecers, and people in other jurisdictions, have actually died as a result of COVID.