"Excess deaths": Coronavirus deaths to June exceed annual deaths of Influenza and pneumonia since 2016
The highest lethality and transmissibility of the virus would be the clinical factors that augur, towards the end of the year, an excess in total deaths in 2020. And while in 2019 annual death from influenza and pneumonia totaled 5,950, Covid-19 to date has already caused 7,153 fatalities, according to data from the Department of Health Statistics and Information (Give).
The figure, warn experts, helps to size the scale of the pandemic: if in the last four years, The Influenza (mainly A and B) and pneumonia (appended to frame complications or bacteria) averaged 4,299 deaths per year, Covid-19 to date has already added 7,153 fatalities, between confirmed and suspicious deaths, department of health statistics and information reports (Give).
And it is that although during the previous year there was no pathogen causing the global pandemic in the country, Influenza virus infections and pneumonia cases are parameters that act as a barometer for the disease. The dean of medicine of the San Sebastian University and infectologist Carlos Pérez, flu influenza mortality comparison was one of the first certainties against Coronavirus.
"The first thing we knew was that the SARS CoV-2 virus has a much higher mortality than that of Influenza. It is at least 10 times more in the same risk groups that attack influenza, here we speak mainly of the A and B. C does not cause disease and D much less. Has an average overall mortality rate of 0,1%, that can reach 0,8% in those over the age of 65. That's for sure., as the cases are many, there are many deaths, but the coronavirus is 10 times more", details Perez.
The doctor warns that "we have an excess of deaths by Covid-19", but that given the pandemic conditions — without vaccine, or with periods of post-infection immunity that are not yet clear—"that's the reality was expected".
On the other hand, and the zero viral circulation of other pathogens, the infectologist warns that during 2020, Coronavirus has concentrated fatalities compared to previous years. As is often the case in periods of pandemic.
On pneumonia, that can be isolated, the virus may also be conducive and "bacterial infections by pneumococcal, staph" associated with the base box. Situation that has been replicated in Covid-19, says the doctor: "I've been seen with cases of Covid-19 pneumonia and pneumococcal simultaneously. There's that"..
Most communicable virus
The epidemiologist and member of the Covid Advisory Board-19, Maria Teresa Valenzuela points to the reproductive speed factor of this new virus in people: "This disease has been tremendously communicable and has generated a very high number of cases, that's why obviously when you look at the denominator of total influenza cases in the previous years it's less, therefore fewer people die".
The epidemiologist and pair of Valenzuela at the advisory table, Dr. Catterina Ferreccio agrees with the increased transmissibility of Covid-19, but it also points to lethality, although "the latter cannot yet be specified, because the calculated lethality depends too much on the number of tests and therefore, confirmed cases", warns. Like this, and according to the data to date, lethality in Chile is bordering on 1,8%.