NYC’s official coronavirus death toll should rise by 4,200 — to over 20,000: Committee on Health chairman

The debate continues as to how to estimate the increase in excess deaths that occurred before there was adequate COVID-19 testing.

Many people who died at home or because of heart attack or stroke were not tested for coronavirus, which was initially thought to be more pulmonary than cardiovascular.

But researchers have noticed steep increases in deaths that were not attributed to coronavirus, suggesting a large number of unreported coronavirus deaths.

On Monday, the chairman of the New York City Council's Committee on Health, suggested that all excess deaths should be attributed coronavirus.

That would raise the official death toll to over 20,800 New Yorkers.