Over 80 Percent of Excess Deaths During Pandemic Linked to COVID-19: Study

A respiratory therapist treats a COVID-19 patient in Chicago, Ill., on Jan. 31, 2022. Scott Olson/Getty Images

More than 80 percent of excess deaths in the United States between 2020 and 2022 are attributable to COVID-19, with many excess deaths from illnesses like Alzheimer’s and diabetes also tied to the infection, according to a recent study.

The study looked to uncover the number of excess deaths that occurred in the country between March 1, 2020 and Jan. 1, 2022 that were linked to COVID-19.

“We find that 84 percent of all-cause excess mortality can be statistically attributed to the direct impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection. We also estimate a large direct contribution of SARS-CoV-2 infection (≥67 percent) on mortality from diabetes, Alzheimer’s, heart diseases, and in all-cause mortality among individuals over 65 years,” according to the Feb. 22 study published in the scientific journal eLife.

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“Overall, on a national scale, the largest consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are attributable to the direct impact of SARS-CoV-2 infections; yet, the secondary impacts dominate among younger age groups and in mortality from external causes.”

Secondary impacts refer to those that are caused by COVID-19 indirectly and include the measures implemented to control it and the effects of fear about the infection.

Overall, the number of estimated excess deaths in the United States during this period is estimated at 1.06 million. With 84 percent of deaths attributed to COVID-19, the number comes to 894,768. Between March 1, 2020 and Jan. 1, 2022, the United States had only reported 848,886 COVID-19 deaths.

Among the 25,300 excess deaths linked to Alzheimer’s, 70 percent were attributed to COVID-19. Seventy percent of excess deaths from diabetes and 73 percent of excess deaths from heart disease were also linked to COVID-19.

“While individuals under 25 years had a low overall excess death rate during the pandemic, we find that the contribution of indirect pandemic effects is even greater in this age group. In contrast, individuals over 65 years predominantly suffered from the direct consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection,” the study states.

COVID-19 Excess Deaths

Multiple other studies have also found that COVID-19 contributed to a significant portion of excess deaths in the United States during the pandemic period.

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A December 2021 study in the American Journal of Public Health estimated that there were 16.6 excess deaths per 10,000 people in the United States in 2020. The study estimated that 84 percent of these excess deaths could be “directly attributed” to COVID-19.

“The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mortality and health disparities are underestimated when only deaths directly attributed to COVID-19 are considered,” the study said.

A December 2022 study published in the journal SAGE estimated 171,000 excess non-COVID deaths through the end of 2021 as well as 72,000 unmeasured COVID-19 deaths.

COVID-19 Vaccine Harms

COVID-19 vaccines are also believed to have triggered the deaths of thousands of Americans. A survey published in the journal BMC Infectious Diseases estimated the death toll from COVID-19 vaccines in the country at between 217,330 and 332,608 in 2021 alone.

Meanwhile, a December 2022 poll by Rasmussen Reports saw 34 percent of respondents admitting that they had experienced minor side effects from taking a COVID-19 shot, with 7 percent experiencing major side effects.

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As of Feb. 1, the U.S. government’s Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program had approved COVID-19 vaccine injury claims of 19 individuals.

In 17 of these cases, people taking a COVID-19 shot had suffered from myocarditis, a form of heart inflammation, or its related condition pericarditis, or both. One person suffered a skin swelling condition called angioedema while the other suffered a severe allergic shock. Though the 19 individuals are eligible for compensation, they had yet to receive any payment.

“Approving claims but not actually compensating injured people is no different than denying claims,” Renee Gentry, a lawyer who represents some people who have filed claims but have not been approved, told The Epoch Times in an email.

“These people don’t need moral victories. They need their medical bills paid for and their loss of income reimbursed.”

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.