Tara Moriarty, an associate professor at the University of Toronto, called it “a conservative estimate” and warned the number would rise. “Many of the deaths from Omicron are about to start coming,” he said. He said it was important to note that the under-reporting of COVID-19 deaths is the “rule” worldwide, even in high-income countries. Moriarty is part of a team in the COVID-19 Resources Canada project that is modeling to help members of the public better understand the state of COVID-19. Receives funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada for his work.
What is Excessive Mortality?
Moriarty said that to get an accurate picture of how many COVID-19 deaths are not reported, we need to look at excessive mortality, that is, when more deaths occur than expected. Data released on Thursday by the Statistics Canada estimates that between March 2020 and mid-February 2022, there were an estimated 40,349 deaths in the country, or seven percent more than expected. Tara Moriarty is an infectious disease specialist and researcher at the University of Toronto. He says Nova Scotia lags behind in death reports. (Lisa Xing / CBC) However, the situation has worsened a lot since January due to Omicron. “Canada is experiencing a new period of significant over-mortality beginning in January 2022,” said a report by Statistics Canada. “From the beginning to the end of January, there were 4,085 excessive deaths nationwide, or 13.2 percent more deaths than expected, if there was no pandemic.” Statistics Canada estimates that since the start of the pandemic, there have been 181 fewer deaths than expected in Nova Scotia. However, the data for Nova Scotia is only 23 October 2021, ie before the Omicron wave hits the province. About three-quarters of official COVID-19 deaths in Nova Scotia have occurred since December. “There are many other deaths that are yet to come from Nova Scotia because Nova Scotia simply has not reported [that data]”, Said Moriarty. Of the 21 COVID-19 deaths announced by the province in its weekly briefing on Thursday, officials said 19 of the deaths occurred between April 25 and May 30.
How Nova Scotia ranks COVID-19 deaths
In Nova Scotia, deaths attributed to COVID-19 capture both people who have died from coronavirus infection and when COVID-1 is believed to contribute. “When people have underlying conditions it becomes more complicated, but if COVID may have contributed to the death, we refer to it as COVID-related death,” Health and Wellness spokeswoman Marla MacInnis said in a statement. “In more complex situations, such as a person dying with many contributing factors, cases are examined by clinicians and / or public health to determine if COVID-19 may have contributed.” In cases where the cause of death is unknown or a person is suspected of having COVID-19, tests are performed to find evidence of the disease. Moriarty said the deaths could still be lost. “Many deaths in the elderly do not necessarily look like the way we usually think of COVID as a respiratory infection,” he said. “Many older people, when they develop respiratory infections, have no obvious symptoms, until they can no longer breathe and die.”
Older people in Nova Scotia have higher death rates
As of December 8, 2021, the median age of people who died of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia is 81, according to the county. He said the risk of death from COVID-19 is 125 times higher for people 70 and older than for people under 50. While Omicron has been described as a mild strain on COVID-19, Moriarty said the reality is much more complicated. “What I want people to understand is that if you qualify for fourth installments, take them right away,” he said. “There ‘s still a lot of Omicron out there. And with each passing week, the protection you get from vaccines, from your third dose, drops and [you] indeed, they are becoming more and more likely to become infected and die if you are vulnerable. “ MORE TOP STORIES
