Last updated on August 29th, 2024 at 06:36 am
Sydney, Australia – Covid-19 continues to be one of the major drivers of above-average mortality in Australia, a study said, showing the after-effects of the coronavirus disease would continue for several years. According to a report published by the Australian Actuaries Institute on Monday, a five percent increase in the number of deaths was recorded in 2023, with 8,400 excess deaths.
Covid-19 Impact on Deaths The Australian Actuaries Institute said excess mortality is still above pre-pandemic levels. About 4,600 deaths in 2023 were directly due to Covid-19 and the ninth leading cause of death last year.
Indirect Effects of Covid-19 Non-Covid-19 excess deaths were more than expected in Australians aged over 75 years. This is attributed to the past Covid-19 infections and their disruption to healthcare services increase risks related to heart diseases, stroke, diabetes and dementias. Delays in routine or emergency care, and COVID-19 infections that went undiagnosed, had also been mentioned in the reasons of death rate being higher than it usually is.
Trends and Forecasts Despite the ongoing effect, the excess mortality rate this year was less than in 2022. “It’s heartening that each successive Covid-19 wave has, to date, resulted in fewer deaths than the one before it,” said Karen Cutter, spokeswoman at the Actuaries Institute. She added that excess mortality from Covid-19 is likely for a number of years, either as the immediate cause or contributing to other conditions.
International Comparison The report noted excess mortality in Australia was below the average for the world as a whole. Ecuador, Mexico, and Russia were among countries that saw the highest rates of unexplained deaths, while New Zealand had the lowest excess mortality rates of 40 countries for which data was available.
Conclusion These findings are in regard to the fact that Covid-19 has had an effect on the public health of Australia. With the present improvement, experts still say the country will face increased mortality rates due to the pandemic’s long hanging impact.
