MONTREAL – Researchers are struggling to explain why Quebec has the highest official number of COVID-19 deaths in Canada, despite the relatively low number of deaths between March 2020 and October 2021.
MONTREAL – Researchers are struggling to explain why Quebec has the highest official number of COVID-19 deaths in Canada, despite the relatively low number of deaths between March 2020 and October 2021.
A new study published today by the Canadian Medical Association Journal tried to answer this question, but it turned out to be short.
The study says Quebec had 4,033 more deaths during that period, but reported 11,470 deaths from COVID-19 – almost three times as many. This is the largest difference recorded in Canada during the pandemic.
Redundant deaths refer to the extent to which observed deaths exceed expected deaths based on modeling from previous years.
Kimberlyn McGrail, author of the study “Excessive Mortality, COVID-19 and Healthcare Systems in Canada,” said she observed too many factors to offer a definitive answer.
Frederick Florey-Payor of the Quebec Statistical Institute says he believes doctors in Quebec include COVID-19 as a cause of death more liberally than doctors in other provinces.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 30, 2022.
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This story was created with the financial support of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship
The Canadian press
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