Many deaths attributed to natural causes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have been due to the virus --studies

Many deaths attributed to natural causes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have instead been due to the virus NIA-funded study finds many deaths attributed to natural causes early in the pandemic may have been caused by COVID-19. National Institute on Aging

Several studies have found that mortality increased at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. While many of these excess deaths — higher than would be expected based on mortality patterns in earlier times — during the first 30 months of the pandemic were officially linked to COVID-19, a substantial number were reported as other natural causes. The timing suggests that many of these deaths could have been unrecognized COVID-19 fatalities or indirectly linked to pandemic-related disruptions in health care and society. Findings from an NIA-funded study exploring this question were published in PNAS.

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