Long-term care death rate worse in U.S.

Re: “We can’t allow a repeat of high death rates at care homes,” editorial, July 30.

The editorial focuses on COVID-19 deaths in long-term care as a percentage of all COVID deaths. By that measure, Canada had the highest proportion (81 per cent) among 17 OECD countries studied by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).

The editorial also notes that 72 per cent of COVID-19 deaths in B.C. have been in long-term care.

However, ranking jurisdictions by the per cent of COVID deaths in long-term care doesn’t really tell you how well the health-care system is performing since it doesn’t account for the overall rate of COVID deaths in a country.

To illustrate, take an extreme example of an imaginary country that has recorded just one death from COVID-19, but that death occurred in long-term care.

That country would therefore have 100 per cent of its COVID deaths in long-term care, and would be ranked as “worst” among all the countries.

To take a real example, in the United States it is estimated that, as of mid-July, 40 per cent of COVID deaths have been related to long term care.

By your reasoning, the U.S. has thus performed much “better” than Canada or B.C. However, that 40 per cent translates into 60,000 long term care deaths in the U.S., or 182 deaths per million people.

In B.C., 72 per cent of our total 194 COVID deaths translates into 140 deaths in long term care, or 27 deaths per million people — barely one-seventh of the U.S. rate.

Steven Murray Victoria