Death toll in Ohio up nearly 8%
Ohio has lost nearly 8,000 more lives in 2020 than in an average year, a grim statistic that health officials say shows the pandemic’s reach may be even wider than official COVID-19 tallies show at this point.
So far, 108,726 Ohioans have died this year, according to data from the Ohio Department of Health. As of Friday, that’s 7,864, or 7.8% more than the previous five-year average of 100,862 deaths recorded from January through October.
Of the 7,864 additional deaths, more than 5,600 have already been attributed to COVID-19. But that leaves roughly 2,200 more deaths.
“It’s concerning,” said Dr. Andrew Thomas, chief clinical officer at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center. “I think to try and put a finger on the exact cause without a deeper analysis would be hard.”
What’s likely, Thomas said, is that the higher-than-average deaths were caused by a variety of factors that could be directly or indirectly linked to the pandemic.
Although shutdowns earlier this year were designed to halt the spread of the virus, one of their side effects was likely more death, said David Corey, president of the Ohio State Coroners Association. Though no definitive link has been found yet between the pandemic and lives lost to things other than the virus, many doctors suspect there is one.
For instance, at least 532 Ohioans died of an overdose in May, making it the deadliest drug overdose month in at least 14 years, according to state health department data. Across the U.S., overdose deaths are on the rise and could reach an all-time high this year amid the pandemic.
This summer’s wave of violence also likely contributed to a rise in deaths across Ohio. In Columbus alone, 144 murders have been committed throughout 2020, marking a record for the city. Others cities have reported similar spikes, and experts have speculated that financial worries and stress have likely played a role.
Ohio’s population is also aging, Corey said, so it makes sense that the state’s death rate would be on the rise, especially since the elderly tend to be more at risk for severe complications from COVID-19.
As the pandemic has forced people into isolation, it’s also likely seeded a wave of mental health issues. When 2020 is over, there’s a good chance suicides will be up, said Dr. Andrew T. Pavia, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Utah School of Medicine.
It’s possible that some of Ohio’s excess deaths could also be undetected cases of COVID-19. People who die without getting tested or die in their homes aren’t typically counted in official virus statistics, Pavia said.
“I think that excess death toll is very real, and that’s probably the most important message when we count COVID-19 deaths,” Pavia said. “We’re missing a substantial portion of people who die of a direct or indirect consequence of the epidemic that we’re not counting in our formal total.”
When the pandemic began, hospitals canceled elective procedures and many doctors started doing remote visits with patients. Although surgeries have resumed, as have some in-person visits, many doctors have warned that if people delay care, it could kill them.
Some also fear that hospitals, where COVID-19 patients are being cared for, could be a prime place to catch the virus. But hospitals may actually be one of the safest places at the moment because of all the precautions being taken, Thomas and others have said.
“I have this conversation with my patients,” Thomas said. “In some ways … the hospital is one of the safest places you could come to. We’re seeing very little transmission to staff or from staff in the health care setting.”
When the pandemic first hit Ohio in March, Corey said many counties around the state acquired extra refrigeration storage units in case deaths soared. Despite Ohio’s extra deaths so far, coroners and morgues are not yet feeling overrun, Corey said.
Still, Corey said that number of extra deaths over 10 months is serious. He expects the trend will continue through the end of the year.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” Corey said. “This has been such an insane year.”
mfilby@dispatch.com
“I think that excess death toll is very real, and that’s probably the most important message when we count
COVID-19 deaths.”
Dr. Andrew T. Pavia
Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Utah School of Medicine