• Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
  • CCPA
  • Medical Disclaimer
Monday, January 30, 2023
Wisconsin Digital News
  • Home
  • US
  • Business
  • Covid 19
  • Milwaukee
  • Madison
  • Green Bay
  • Kenosha
  • Racine
  • Appleton
  • Press Releases
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • US
  • Business
  • Covid 19
  • Milwaukee
  • Madison
  • Green Bay
  • Kenosha
  • Racine
  • Appleton
  • Press Releases
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Covid 19

COVID Pandemic Death Toll May Be 3 Times Higher Than Official Tally, New Study Finds

by NewsReporter
March 10, 2022
in Covid 19
Reading Time: 5 mins read
covid-pandemic-death-toll-may-be-3-times-higher-than-official-tally,-new-study-finds
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Two years after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global pandemic, new research suggests around 18.2 million people have died worldwide as a result. That toll is more than three times higher than the WHO’s tally of nearly 6 million officially reported COVID-19 deaths through the end of 2021. 

Some 1.13 million Americans have died due to the pandemic, the researchers estimate. By comparison, the current total of reported COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. stands at around 960,000.

The new figures, published Thursday in The Lancet, are based on the number of “excess deaths” in countries around the world. Researchers determined how many additional deaths occurred from January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2021 by modeling the number of “expected” deaths in years unaffected by a global pandemic, compared to the total number who actually died from any cause. 

The estimate predates the Omicron variant’s peak in many countries, which drove large waves of deaths in the U.S. and elsewhere over the past few months.

Many of the additional deaths over the past two years can be directly linked to cases of COVID-19. However, the study’s authors say a variety of other factors — ranging from underreporting of infections to the disease’s strain on hospitals — may account for the unprecedented number of additional deaths during the pandemic. 

“Further research will help to reveal how many deaths were caused directly by COVID-19, and how many occurred as an indirect result of the pandemic,” the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Dr. Haidong Wang, the paper’s lead author, said in a release. 

While the U.S. overall does not rank among the nations with the world’s worst rates of excess mortality, it does have one of the largest total numbers of excess deaths in the study. The pandemic’s biggest cumulative toll came from India, the U.S., Russia, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia and Pakistan. 

“These seven countries accounted for more than half of the global excess deaths due to COVID-19 over the 24-month period,” the study’s authors wrote. 

Researchers noted that some southern U.S. states ranked among the world’s worst excess mortality rates from COVID-19. 

For every 100,000 residents, an estimated 329.7 additional deaths occurred in Mississippi during the pandemic, the highest of any state. In the study’s global estimates, only 21 nations exceeded 300 excess deaths per 100,000 citizens.

More than 12,000 residents of Mississippi have died from COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s official tally, the most per capita of any state. 

“I think this paper highlights the importance of using excess deaths in the analysis of the effects of any sort of pandemic or epidemic like this, in order to get a sense of the true, complete impact,” says Robert Anderson, chief of the CDC’s mortality statistics branch.

The study published Thursday echoes similar figures that have been generated by Anderson’s team, which has been calculating excess deaths on a weekly basis throughout the pandemic in the U.S.

“You see for some of these countries, there are very few numbers of COVID deaths but quite large numbers of excess deaths. That doesn’t suffer from errors in cause of death certification. A death is a death, and it’s pretty easy to tell if people are dead even if it’s not that easy to tell what they died from,” Anderson said.

Based on data through January 2022, the CDC’s own estimate of excess deaths during the pandemic passed 1 million earlier this year. Other ongoing research by the agency suggests the number of Americans who have been infected by the coronavirus could be double that of official reports.

The CDC’s current excess deaths figure may include some fatalities from other disasters that occurred during the past two years, Anderson noted, like the winter storm in Texas that led to crippling blackouts. However, the vast majority of additional deaths have come from COVID-19 cases, which ranks among the country’s leading causes of death. 

The agency has also seen substantial swings in other causes of death over the past two years, which might also be linked to the virus or its ripple effects. 

Deaths from heart attacks and stroke have climbed beyond pre-pandemic levels, Anderson cited as examples, as well as deaths from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. COVID-19 has been linked to both cardiovascular and neurological issues, as well as disrupting the ability of doctors to care for non-COVID patients during surges.

“We’ve seen some decline in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease deaths, and that may be related to the pandemic as well. These people are generally at high-risk for serious effects of COVID, and so it’s possible they may have died otherwise without the pandemic as a result of COPD,” said Anderson. 

Looking ahead, Anderson said the CDC planned to continue to regularly release data but may soon wind down the resource-intensive weekly estimates it has been publishing on excess deaths in the pandemic. 

Anderson predicted the agency may eventually begin to account for some COVID-19 deaths as part of the expected baseline deaths every year. The CDC already analyzes changes in mortality with flu and other endemic diseases, compared to expected deaths.

Given the length of the pandemic so far, Anderson’s team had to tweak their algorithm last year to stabilize their estimates, incorporating additional pre-pandemic historical data.

“When we’re modeling these data to try to get at how many deaths would have occurred in a ‘normal’ year, you have to model a certain number of years of data. And of course, you don’t want to include the data of the non-normal years in the model,” said Anderson. 

    In:

  • COVID-19

Alexander Tin

CBS News reporter covering public health and the pandemic.

Read More Here

Related Posts

south-africa-flooding-death-toll-over-300-as-record-rainfall-inundates-coastal-kwa-zulu-natal-province

South Africa Flooding Death Toll Over 300 As Record Rainfall Inundates Coastal Kwa-Zulu Natal Province

by NewsReporter
April 14, 2022
0

How climate change affects hurricanes "Like putting steroids into a storm": How climate change affects hurricanes 02:46 Johannesburg, South Africa — The death toll from flooding brought by days of torrential rain along South Africa's east coast has risen to more than 300. President Cyril Ramaphosa was met with scenes of...

iranian-commander:-death-of-all-american-leaders-would-not-avenge-soleimani-killing

Iranian Commander: Death Of All American Leaders Would Not Avenge Soleimani Killing

by NewsReporter
April 13, 2022
0

The assassination of all U.S. leaders would not be enough to avenge the 2020 death of elite Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards general has said. “If all American leaders are killed, this will still not avenge the blood of Soleimani. We have to follow...

uk-says-‘all-options-on-table’-if-russians-used-chemical-weapons-in-ukraine

UK Says ‘all Options On Table’ If Russians Used Chemical Weapons In Ukraine

by NewsReporter
April 12, 2022
0

Boris Johnson’s government has said “all possible options” are on the table to respond to Russia if Vladimir Putin’s forces are found to have used chemical weapons in Ukraine.Foreign secretary Liz Truss and Armed Forces minister James Heappey said the UK was working with allies to verify reports that Russian forces may...

macron-and-le-pen-intensify-election-campaigning-–-follow-live

Macron And Le Pen Intensify Election Campaigning – Follow Live

by NewsReporter
April 11, 2022
0

NewsWorldEuropePresident faces two-week runoff battle with far-right opponentEmmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen to face each other in French presidential run-offEmmanuel Macron has warned his supporters that "nothing is done" as the French president faces a runoff battle with far-right opponent Marine Le Pen.The pair finished in first and second...

Wisconsin Digital News

© 2021 Wisconsin Digital News

Navigate Site

  • Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
  • CCPA
  • Medical Disclaimer

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • DMCA Policy
  • Medical Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure
  • CCPA
  • Terms of Use

© 2021 Wisconsin Digital News

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT