COVID-19 fatalities have nearly doubled in a year; but expert says Omicron deaths may be even higher – CTV
Oct. 15, 2022
Since October of last year, COVID-19 fatalities have nearly doubled, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) numbers, and January 2022 saw the highest rate of excess mortality in the country after Omicron became the dominant strain.
According to Statistics Canada, the excess death rates decreased in the months that followed. But an infectious disease expert warns the true magnitude of excess mortality may be getting hidden by uneven and insufficient reporting on fatalities across provinces, leading to premature conclusions about the actual national COVID-19 mortality trends in Canada.
A recent report from Statistics Canada shows a decline in excess mortality rates after peaking in January 2022. But with the delay in death reporting, especially during the Omicron period, these provisional numbers are likely to rise as various provinces revise their death numbers for July and August, according to an analysis by a grassroots organization.
