Ratios of excess natural-cause deaths to reported COVID-19 deaths across US counties from March 2020 through August 2022. In panel A, darker counties represent counties with higher ratios of excess natural-cause mortality to reported COVID-19 mortality.

A new study provides the most compelling data yet to suggest that excess mortality rates from chronic illnesses and other natural causes were actually driven by COVID-19 infections, disproving high-profile claims that have attributed these deaths to other factors such as COVID vaccinations and shelter-in-place policies.

Nearly 1,170,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the United States, according to official federal counts, but multiple excess mortality studies suggest that these totals are vastly undercounted.

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Now, a new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) provides the first concrete data showing that many of these excess deaths were indeed uncounted COVID-19 deaths.

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Importantly, these findings also disprove political assertions or public beliefs that have attributed mortality during the pandemic to COVID-19 vaccinations or shelter-in-place policies.

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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02-analysis-reveals-excess-deaths-attributed.html

The study:

Excess natural-cause mortality in US counties and its association with reported COVID-19 deaths

Significance