Emergency use ICD codes for COVID-19 disease outbreak
Since the beginning of the pandemic and in response to member state requests, the classification and terminologies unit has been progressively activating emergency codes for COVID-19 in ICD-10 and ICD-11 and related guidances after consultation with the relevant committees and reference groups of the WHO Family of International Classifications (WHO-FIC) Network.
The below document describes certification and classification (coding) of deaths related to COVID-19. The primary goal is to identify all deaths due to COVID-19. A simplified section (section 3) specifically addresses the persons who fill in the medical certificate of cause of death. It may be distributed to certifiers separate from the coding instructions.
The May 2025 document replaces previous guidelines issued on 20 April 2020 and 1 January 2021 that can be found at the bottom of this page.
The coding guidelines are very technical and only include some template cases. Questions may arise in daily work due to the inexorable richness of medical language and practice in certification. Support can be provided through the closest WHO-FIC Collaborating Centre or icd@who.int.
Chronological updates
May 2025 Updated version of the international guidelines for certification and classification (coding) of COVID-19 as cause of death that includes the ICD-11 codes. This document replaces previous guidelines issued on 20 April 2020 and 1 January 2021.
January 2021 Update 3 & 4 in relation to COVID-19 coding in ICD-10, a set of additional categories were activated in ICD-10 to be able to document or flag presentation for conditions that occur in the context of COVID-19:
- Immunization to prevent COVID-19
- Adverse reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine
September 2020 A set of additional codes upon request by member states were activated to be able to document or flag conditions that occur in the context of COVID-19. In particular the need for disambiguation between acute disease, late effects or lengthy course led to the neutral formulation “post-covid”. This term does not pre-empt any etiopathological links, and leaves space for linking any condition to a preceding acute COVID.
- Personal history of COVID-19
- Post COVID-19 condition
- Multisystem inflammatory syndrome associated with COVID-19
April 2020 International guidelines for certification and classification (coding) of COVID-19 as cause of death were published in 7 languages.
February 2020 Emergency codes were activated for COVID-19:
- confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19
- clinical or epidemiological diagnosis (suspected or probable) of COVID-19