There are many variables to consider before estimating the true Covid death toll but evidence collected by The Economist suggests the official numbers fall far short. Based on estimated global excess deaths, more than ten million lives may have been cut short by Covid. Now a new study provides a surprising insight into Covid deaths.
Global Covid deaths on weekends have been higher compared to weekdays during the pandemic, according to new findings due to be presented at this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Portugal later this month.
Researchers accepted that reporting delays could be a contributing factor, but said shortfalls in clinical staffing, capacity, and experience at weekends are also likely to play a role.
Overall, the average number of global deaths from coronavirus were six percent higher on weekends compared to weekdays – 8,532 compared to 8,083 – throughout the pandemic, researchers said.
Experts from the University of Toronto in Canada analysed all deaths reported to the World Health Organisation COVID-19 database between March 7, 2020 and March 7, 2022.
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The findings suggest the US had on average 1,483 weekend deaths compared to 1,220 on weekdays – a 22 percent increase.
Brazil had an average of 1,061 weekend deaths compared to 823 on weekdays, which is a 29 percent increase, and the UK had on average 239 weekend deaths compared to 215 on weekdays – an 11 percent increase.
Further study looking at the average number of Covid deaths on individual days of the week found the increase was particularly big when comparing Sunday to Monday – 8,850 compared to 7,219 deaths – and Friday to Monday – 9,086 compared to 7,219.
One of the researchers, Doctor Fizza Manzoor, said delays in reporting deaths on weekends do not account completely for differences in different countries – with Germany reporting fewer average deaths at weekends (137) compared to weekdays (187).
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Doctor Manzoor said: “Bureaucratic delays on weekends alone do not explain why there are fewer documented COVID-19 deaths on Mondays compared to Fridays, and reporting lags alone cannot explain why the increase in weekend deaths was so substantial in the USA and not seen in Germany.
“Instead, the ‘weekend effect’ is also likely to be due to shortfalls in clinical staffing, capacity, and experience.
“What’s more, our findings suggest that this problem is not resolving despite improved health system performance and awareness over the course of the pandemic.
“There is an opportunity for health systems to further improve clinical care on all days of the week.”
The researchers accepted the conclusions of the study, which has been peer reviewed, could be limited by false negative results, missed cases, and data entry errors, and that the available data does not account for disease severity or explore the impact of local policies and public health interventions in individual countries.
The power of vaccination
What has become clear is that the global vaccination effort has saved hundreds of thousands of lives.
The vaccines have proven to be overwhelmingly efficacious, reducing the risk of serious illness from COVID-19.
The emergence of new variants poses a threat to vaccinated populations but this has been kept at bay through top up shots.
In the UK, everyone aged five and over can get a first and second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
People aged 16 and over, and some children aged 12 to 15, can also get a booster dose.
People aged 12 and over who had a severely weakened immune system when they had their first two doses, will be offered a third dose and a booster (fourth dose).
People aged 75 and over, people who live in care homes for older people, and people aged 12 and over who have a weakened immune system, can get a spring booster.
