New data from Statistics Canada shows the average age of Covid-19 victims has declined this year, and that last year’s surge in deaths has abated.
From the start of the pandemic in March 2020 through mid-May of this year, Canada has suffered almost 20,000 more deaths than would typically be expected for that period.
Generally, this so-called “excess mortality” has tracked the number of deaths directly attributed to Covid-19. Over the same time frame, there have been over 23,000 deaths from the virus, StatsCan reported.
These excess deaths occurred in two distinct waves, corresponding with increased Covid-19 deaths — from March to June 2020 and September to the end of January 2021.
In the first wave, the added deaths closely tracked deaths attributed to Covid-19, whereas in the second wave, excess mortality outpaced deaths directly due to the virus.
The indirect effects of the pandemic, such as the imposition of lockdowns, may have contributed to increased deaths from other causes due to foregone medical treatments or reduced access to public services.
“A closer examination of the patterns for different age groups reveals a growing disconnect between the population groups experiencing excess mortality and the group with the most Covid-19 deaths,” StatsCan said.
For instance, younger Canadians (those under age 65) suffered a rise in deaths that far outpaced the number of deaths attributed to Covid-19.
StatsCan reported that there were more than 7,150 “excess deaths” in the under-65 category between March 2020 and the end of April 2021, but fewer than 1,600 Covid-19 deaths in this group over the same period.
“[T]his excess may be partly explained by increases in the number deaths associated with substance use and misuse, including unintentional poisonings as well as diseases and conditions related to alcohol consumption,” it noted.
Additionally, StatsCan reported that the average age of Covid-19 casualties dropped this year.
In 2020, the average age for Covid-19 fatalities was 83 years. This declined to roughly 76 years in the first few months of 2021.
Last year, those over age 85 consistently accounted for more than half of Covid-19 deaths, StatsCan said — but this dropped to around 25% in April.
This sharp decline may reflect the initial focus on vaccinating older Canadians, StatsCan said.
“It may also be that those who were most vulnerable to the effects of the virus had died earlier in the pandemic,” it suggested.
As the virus has continued to spread this year, the trend in excess deaths has receded, StatsCan also noted: “While Covid-19 deaths were still observed, nationally, no significant excess mortality has been observed in the provisional death data since February 2021.”