75% of Excess Deaths in Canada Were NOT Caused By COVID, But Instead By Things Such as Substance Abuse

THREE QUARTERS of excess deaths in Canadians under age 65 during the #pandemic were not caused by the #COVID19 virus.@StatCan_eng: https://t.co/UqDw4Gvkjm

— Mark Towhey (@towhey) July 13, 2021

While we sometimes observe excess mortality that is consistent with the number of deaths attributed to COVID-19, data reveal that indirect consequences of the pandemic are also having a significant impact on the number of excess deaths in Canada, particularly among younger Canadians. 

Based on the newly updated provisional dataset released today from the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database, from the end of March 2020 to the beginning of April 2021, an estimated 62,203 deaths were reported among Canadians aged 0 to 64. This represents 5,535 more deaths than expected were there no pandemic, after accounting for changes in the population such as aging. 

Over the same period, 1,380 COVID-19 deaths have been attributed to the same age group (those younger than 65), suggesting that the excess mortality is, in large part, related to other factors such as increases in the number deaths attributed to causes associated with substance use and misuse, including unintentional (accidental) poisonings and diseases and conditions related to alcohol consumption. 

Deaths caused by accidental poisonings increase to a new high during the pandemic 

To better understand excess mortality not directly attributed to COVID-19, patterns in mortality for specific causes of deaths were examined. There has been concern that deaths from certain causes not related to COVID-19 may have increased from what would have been expected were there no pandemic. 

Mortality patterns from unintentional poisoning have been of particular interest, as there is evidence in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia that substance use has increased in 2020 compared with previous years, while availability and access to harm reduction programs, supervised consumption services, and in-person support services for substance use may have been disrupted during the pandemic. 

Deaths from accidental poisoning can include different circumstances such as individuals using substances recreationally along with those who mistakenly ingest too much prescription or over-the-counter medications. 

Based on the provisional data received so far from the provinces and territories, there were 3,770 deaths caused by unintentional poisoning in 2020 compared to 3,240 such deaths in 2019, with appreciable increases observed in Ontario (2,235 compared with 1,550) and Alberta (920 compared with 715). While the provisional data have cause of death information for fewer than 70 overdose deaths in British Columbia, a report by the British Columbia Coroners Service on illicit drug toxicity deaths has stated a drastic increase in deaths in 2020 compared with 2019.