or "Nonsense about heat-related deaths": Several alternative media outlets are questioning the figures on the number of heat-related deaths published by institutions such as the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). The institute estimated that around 5.120 heat-related deaths had been recorded in Germany by the end of June. More deaths during heatwaveTo calculate the number of deaths due to heat, the RKI uses the Federal Statistical Office's death toll data and compares the number of deaths in a week with the average number of deaths in previous years. To estimate the number of heat-related deaths, researchers used models to calculate how many deaths would have occurred if temperatures had not exceeded 20 degrees Celsius. Impossible to compare the number of deaths from cold and heatIn the alternative media outlets, the number of deaths due to heat is often compared to the number of deaths due to cold in winter in order to put the importance of heat-related deaths into perspective.