Published in the journal BMJ Public Health, a new study by researchers in the Netherlands found that the total number of excess deaths in 47 Western nations was 3,098,456 between Jan. 2, 2020 and Dec. 31, 2022. Despite containment measures and a global rollout of COVID vaccines, excess mortality actually increased in 2021 and 2022, a time period where variants of the virus grew weaker and more people had access to vaccines. “Excess mortality was registered in 87 percent of countries in 2020, in 89 percent of countries in 2021 and in 91 percent of countries in 2022,” researchers wrote. The study’s authors noted that in 2021, “the year in which both containment measures and COVID-19 vaccines were used to address virus spread and infection, the highest number of excess deaths was reported: 1,256,942 excess deaths.” As explained in the findings, excess mortality has remained high for three consecutive years, despite containment measures and COVID vaccines, which “raises serious concerns” that should prompt government leaders to “thoroughly investigate underlying causes of persistent excess mortality.” The study’s authors note that though COVID vaccines were “provided to guard civilians from suffering morbidity and mortality by the COVID-19 virus, suspected adverse events have been documented as well.” Pfizer randomized clinical trials of COVID vaccines showed a 36 percent higher risk of serious adverse events, the researchers recounted, while Moderna’s trials revealed a six percent higher risk of serious adverse events. “Serious adverse events” are defined in the paper as those that lead to death, are life-threatening, that require inpatient hospitalization, or cause a persistent or significant disability. “Both medical professionals and citizens have reported serious injuries and deaths following vaccination to various official databases in the Western World,” researchers stated. Among those conditions attributed to COVID vaccines have been myocarditis, encephalitis, immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia, intracranial hemorrhage and diffuse thrombosis. Other conditions attributed to the vaccines — ischemic stroke, acute coronary syndrome and brain hemorrhage — are also “common clinical conditions,” which “hinders clinical suspicion” and makes it less likely for medical professionals to properly assign a vaccine injury as such. Researchers say that gleaning accurate data about various nations’ excess mortality rates can be challenging for a variety of reasons. For one, the quality of mortality registries may vary. Also, different countries and subregions using different models to investigate the cause of excess mortality complicates the research. But the study’s authors state that it is necessary to make distinctions between deaths resulting from COVID, COVID vaccines, and other causes, arguing that governments should provide such detailed data. “During the pandemic, it was emphasized by politicians and the media on a daily basis that every COVID-19 death mattered and every life deserved protection through containment measures and COVID-19 vaccines,” the authors write. “In the aftermath of the pandemic, the same morale should apply.” The authors conclude:According to new research, COVID-19 vaccines could be contributing to the spike in excess mortality that has swept the globe following the 2020 pandemic.
Every death needs to be acknowledged and accounted for, irrespective of its origin. Transparency towards potential lethal drivers is warranted. Cause-specific mortality data therefore need to be made available to allow more detailed, direct and robust analyses to determine the underlying contributors. Postmortem examinations need to be facilitated to allot the exact reason for death. Government leaders and policymakers need to thoroughly investigate underlying causes of persistent excess mortality and evaluate their health crisis policies.
