Covid still drives high mortality rate in Australia

SYDNEY, July 29 (AFP): Covid-19 is still driving Australia's above-average mortality rate, research showed on Monday, with experts predicting the disease's impact will continue to be felt for years to come.

The Australian Actuaries Institute found that five percent more people died than would be expected in 2023, amounting to 8,400 excess deaths.

Experts measured the number of people who had died as a direct or indirect result of Covid and found the excess mortality rate was still higher than pre-pandemic levels.

About 4,600 deaths were directly attributed to Covid-19, the ninth leading cause of death last year.

Non-Covid-19 excess deaths, meanwhile, were "particularly apparent" in Australians over 75 years old-with previous infections and interruptions in healthcare related to Covid increasing risks related to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and dementia.

Delays in routine or emergency care and undiagnosed Covid-19 were cited as possible reasons for the higher-than-usual death rate.