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    New excess death counts reveal more complete toll of coronavirus pandemic Archived Message

    Posted by Adamski on August 23, 2020, 7:51 am


    There is a new report   from the Financial Times (FT) on the number of excess deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic 

     

    Excess deaths are defined as the number of deaths in a region that are beyond the historical averages and can be caused by, among other things, disease outbreaks, natural disasters and war. New York City, for example, has reported 23,600 deaths from the pandemic so far but 27,200 excess deaths, 15 percent more than those reported as having died from the pandemic and 208 percent above the city’s historical average.

    Other cities have similarly high excess death tolls. Lima, Peru, has suffered 23,200 excess fatalities, more than twice the 10,600 known coronavirus deaths. Authorities in Mexico City count 9,472 dead from the pandemic, while FT notes 22,800 excess deaths in the Mexican capital. In Jakarta, 1,014 people have officially died due to COVID-19, compared to 5,300 excess deaths. Similar death tolls have been found in Guayas province, Ecuador (1,666 coronavirus deaths, 14,600 excess deaths), London (6,885, 10,000), and Madrid (8,451, 16,200).

    Death rates have also climbed well above their historical averages in many countries. Brazil, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the US have experienced at least a 20 percent increase in mortality since the start of the pandemic. The United Kingdom, Belgium, Chile, Italy and Spain suffered at least a 40 percent increase, while Peru and Ecuador have death rates more than double their historical averages.


    It should be noted that excess deaths are not just unrecorded deaths caused directly by the disease. One reason that statistic is used is that it captures the broader societal damage caused by a catastrophe. Even before the pandemic, the resources for medical emergencies and life-saving procedures were stretched thin from decades of defunding. As numerous reports revealed in Wuhan, northern Italy and New York City during the first months of the pandemic, these resources had to be partly or wholly devoted to dealing with the contagion, leaving those with more mundane but no less deadly ailments, such as heart attacks or strokes, to fend for themselves. Evidence also emerged of people being afraid to go to hospitals even with serious conditions for fear of contracting the coronavirus, and dying as a result.

     

     

    https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/08/20/covi-a20.html

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