<div class="RichTextArticleBody"> <div class="RichTextArticleBody-body"><p>Michigan doctors and funeral homes will have to report COVID-19 deaths under a new emergency order issued Saturday by the state's Department of Health and Human Services.</p><p>The order, which is effective immediately, requires physicians who know or suspect a patient's death from COVID-19 to try quickly to notify the funeral director.</p><p>“MDHHS is committed to protecting the public health during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why I am issuing this emergency order,” MDHHS Director Robert Gordon said. “To inform sound decision-making and protect Michiganders, public health officials need accurate information about COVID-19 deaths as quickly as possible. I appreciate the work of our funeral home directors and physicians right now, and I am grateful to partner with them in taking quick action during this pandemic.”</p><p>The funeral director is required to initiate the death record and submit to the attending physician within 24 hours of becoming aware that the death resulted or is suspected to have resulted from COVID-19.</p><p>Then, the director must file the death record with the local registrar of the district within 48 hours through the state's electronic death records system.</p><p>Physicians who receive a death record for medical certification where the death resulted or is suspected to have resulted from COVID-19 must attempt to certify the death record within 24 hours of receipt. </p><p>The state said speedy reporting of the deaths will allow officials to more accurately understand the impact of the disease.</p><p>As of Saturday, there were 14,225 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 540 deaths. Michigan had recorded 14,225 cases of COVID-19 with 540 deaths.</p><p>Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Michigan, a timeline of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Southeast Michigan, and links to more information from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC and the WHO.
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