NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne) -- Nashville officials acknowledged Thursday that the Metro Department of Health underreported the city’s COVID-19 fatalities by a whopping 31 percent.
On Wednesday, Metro Health reported a total of 653 deaths since the pandemic began. On Thursday the death count jumped 203 deaths higher for a total of 856 deaths.
In a statement released earlier this month the city blamed the coroner's office. They say reporting fell behind when the office was overwhelmed by the surge in virus related deaths over the winter months.
Officials say they’ve now added “quality controls” to ensure accurate reporting going forward.
