The symptoms of C19 are very hard to distinguish from symptoms of other respiratory infections, such as influenza and the common cold. Diagnoses from symptoms alone seems even more unreliable than the RT-PCR test. Yet the ONS confirmed this is how C19 can be identified as a cause of death:
“A doctor can certify the involvement of COVID-19 based on symptoms and clinical findings – a positive test result is not required.”
This is a consequence of the State’s advice to doctors which informs them:
“if before death the patient had symptoms typical of COVID 19 infection….it would be satisfactory to give ‘COVID-19’ as the cause of death.”