Letters from America - Part 4

Excess Deaths in America: Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

Given the approximately 200 pandemic interventions aimed at slowing the virus's spread and reducing mortality rates, along with the introduction of one or two vaccines, you might expect a significant decrease in mortality post-pandemic. However, as we have shown, deaths rose post-pandemic, and there has been a noticeable silence amongst the government.

A recent analysis in JAMA on Excess US Deaths Before, During, and After the Pandemic highlights how bad the post-pandemic era played out in America.

Between 1980 and 2023, the US saw an estimated 14.7 million excess deaths. While deaths peaked in 2021, an excess of 1.5 million was recorded in 2022/23, with rates still much higher than pre-pandemic levels. Worryingly, in 2023, mortality among adults aged 25-44 years was 2.6 times higher than in other high-income countries.

The authors consider the excess reflects drug overdoses, firearm injuries, and cardiometabolic diseases.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported that th…