The leading causes of death didn’t change much from 2019 to 2020, except for additional deaths due to COVID-19. Determining and recording cause of death involves funeral home directors, local medical certifiers, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).  NCHS uses a standardized system to determine the underlying cause of death.  The leading causes of death in Kansas for Sept. 1 – December 31 were similar for 2019 and 2020, except for additional deaths due to COVID-19.  COVID was the leading cause of death for the period we reviewed in 2020. Otherwise, the leading causes of death in Kansas for that period remained mostly unchanged from 2019 to 2020.  In our review of the time period September 1 – December 31, there were 3,331 (36%) more deaths in 2020 than in 2019.  The increase in the number of deaths from 2019 to 2020 is largely attributable to COVID-19.  Both KDHE and NCHS officials reported adding new review processes when COVID-19 is listed as the cause of death.