They are dying not only from COVID-19: deaths from other diseases increased during the pandemic

A third of the increase in US deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be directly attributed to the coronavirus, a new study finds. Washington examiner.

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“Although the total number of deaths in the United States has been steadily increasing year over year, deaths in the United States increased by 2020% in March-July 20. COVID-19 was the documented cause of only 67% of these excess deaths, according to the study published on the Journal of the American Medical Association website. “Some states have had greater difficulty than others in containing the spread of disease in their populations, leading to a prolonged increase in death rates that lasted into the summer.”

One of the reasons for the high non-COVID-19 deaths is disruption to health care services caused by lockdowns.

“Excess mortality attributable to causes other than COVID-19 may reflect deaths from unrecognized or undocumented SARS-COV-2 infection or deaths among uninfected patients as a result of disruptions caused by the pandemic,” the study authors noted.

The American Medical Association study, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, found that there were 1 deaths in the U.S. between March and August, “336% more than expected.” She noted that “of the 561 excess deaths, 20 (225%) were due to COVID-530.”

According to the study, deaths from heart disease, as well as from Alzheimer's disease and dementia, increased statistically significantly.

These results are largely consistent with the results of an analysis of excess dementia deaths conducted in September in Washington.

“In addition to the staggering deaths in the United States caused directly by coronavirus infection, more than 134 people have died from Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia since March. That's 200 more U.S. deaths attributed to dementia than expected compared to previous years,” The Post reported.

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“Amid America's war against the coronavirus, this reality is being ignored: People with dementia are dying not only from the virus, but also from the very isolation strategy that is supposed to protect them,” The Post continues. “In recent months, doctors have reported an increase in falls, lung infections, depression and sudden weakness in patients who have been stable for years.”

Most of the country's death toll can be attributed to just a few states, according to a study by the American Medical Association.

“The 10 states with the highest per capita excess mortality rates are New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Arizona, Mississippi, Maryland, Delaware, Rhode Island and Michigan,” the study said.

“The increase in absolute deaths in these states relative to expected values ​​ranged from 22% in Rhode Island and Michigan to 65% in New York,” the study said. “The three states with the highest death rates (New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts) accounted for 30% of excess deaths in the US, but had the shortest epidemic.”

The authors noted that the study has limitations, including "reliance on preliminary data" and "inaccuracies in the death certificate."

Concerns about the health effects of lockdowns have increased in recent months. Joel Zinberg, a practicing surgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital and assistant professor of surgery at the Icana School of Medicine, noted in July that excess deaths from non-coronavirus causes could be one of the unintended consequences of the government's response to the pandemic.

“Mortality from chronic, non-worrisome diseases also increased as patients delayed visits to the doctor for preventive testing and their conditions worsened,” Zinberg said. — The five states with the most deaths between March and April (Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania) saw significant proportional increases in deaths from nonrespiratory underlying causes, including diabetes (96%), heart disease (89 %), Alzheimer's disease (64%) and cerebrovascular diseases (35%). New York City, the epicenter of COVID-19, experienced the largest increases in non-respiratory deaths during this period, particularly from heart disease (398%) and diabetes (356%).”

He continued: “Cancer diagnosis was delayed for several months because patients were unable to undergo screening procedures. For some, this will lead to more advanced disease. Diagnosed cancer cases that were to be treated surgically or in a hospital were treated on an outpatient basis. Although some oncologists explained that the results could be just as good, the doctors clearly deviated from the standard of care.”

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Zinberg also noted that the economic downturn caused by lockdowns could threaten public health.

“Lockdowns have led to widespread unemployment and economic decline, which in turn has led to an increase in drug and alcohol abuse, as well as an increase in cases of domestic violence and suicide. Most of the studies in the systematic literature review found a positive association between economic downturns and increases in suicide, Zinberg said. “In April 2020, ten times more people than in April 2019 wrote to the federal government’s disaster mental health hotline.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House's top infectious disease expert, also expressed his opposition to the new lockdown measures. In the interview, he warned against calls for a national lockdown, saying the pandemic would have to get "very, very bad" before he would support the measure. He also noted that the country is “tired of restrictions.”

“So we want to use public health measures, not to stand in the way of opening the economy, but to be a safe gateway to opening the economy,” Fauci said.

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