CO Man Dies of Alcohol Poisoning, State Rules Death as COVID-19

Police found the body of 35-year-old Sebastian Yellow in a park in Cortez last Monday (May 4).

The local coroner ruled alcohol poisoning as Yellow's cause of death, as his blood alcohol level was almost twice the lethal limit.

However, later tests then revealed that Yellow was also positive for COVID-19. As a result, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) changed his cause of death.

CBS 4 Denver interviewed the coroner, George Deavers, who told the station he was dismayed about the state's decision, noting that the virus had nothing to do with Yellow's death.

Deavers believes that the state is trying to make the pandemic look worse than it really is.

When he reached out to the CDPHE about the reasoning behind its ruling, he heard nothing back.

This is not the first time that the CDPHE has changed a cause of death from something else to COVID-19.

Three people recently died at Someren Glen, a Centennial nursing home. All of their deaths were ruled as being from the virus, even though attending physicians said this was not the case.

Colorado Republican Representative Mark Baisley asked District Attorney George Brauchler to investigate the nursing home deaths on Thursday (May 14), calling the state's rulings "deliberate acts of certificate falsification."

Despite these instances, Dr. Anthony Fauci maintains that COVID-19 deaths are being undercounted, telling the Senate that the virus' death toll is higher than what is being reported.