"Last Friday I received a 7-page document that told me if I had an 86-year-old patient that had pneumonia but was never tested for COVID-19 but some time after she came down with pneumonia we learned that she had been exposed to her son who had no symptoms but later on was identified with COVID-19, then it would be appropriate to diagnose on the death certificate COVID-19," Dr. Scott Jensen said.

Dr. Jensen explained that this is not a normal procedure.

Dr.. Jensen said for example if the same patient had pneumonia during flu season and he didn't have a test confirming the patient also had influenza, he would never diagnose the patient with influenza on the death certificate.