COVID-19: third most lethal cause of death in Australia

10 July 2024

From The Daily Aus. Aside from being linked to a slight decrease in life expectancy, COVID-19 was the third highest cause of death in Australia in 2022, claiming almost ten-thousand lives:

COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in Australia in 2022, according to AIHW. It was the first time in more than 50 years that an infectious disease has appeared in the top five causes of death.

COVID deaths were four times higher in 2022, compared to 2021. As a comparison, three-hundred-and-eight “influenza-associated” deaths were reported between 1 January and 9 October 2022.

Heart disease and dementia, respectively, were the top two causes of death in 2022. COVID may not dominate the conversation, as it did two or three years ago, but that has not diminished its severity in the least.