August 14, 2020: The total number of people who have died from COVID-19 in the United Kingdom (UK) has declined by 5,377.[1]

How can the total number of deaths decline? The answer highlights the challenge of measuring the pandemic.

In the UK, earlier reports included anybody who died from any cause after testing positive for COVID-19. They have now revised their procedures to include only people who die within 28 days of testing positive. According to the government report, this decision was reached after considering “a range of scientific evidence to identify the best time limit to apply between date of test and date of death.”[1]

An earlier Number of the Day looked at a similar problem in the U.S. Different states use different standards for determining the number of nursing home deaths.[2]

Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.

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