The rate of death in Australia remains well above the norm, with a rise in killer diseases other than Covid leaving doctors baffled.
In March there were 14,578 deaths registered in Australia, which is around 1,647 more than would be expected for that month according to the historical average.
This means the number of ‘excess deaths’ was 11.3 per cent above the norm, which also takes into account factors such as an ageing population, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday.
Of the those 1,647 excess deaths, only 247 were certified as directly due to Covid.
A further 117 died ‘with’ the disease, meaning they had other serious conditions besides the virus that may have caused their death.
Deaths otherwise surged due to cardiac conditions (up by nearly 20 per cent on the historical average), influenza and pneumonia (up by 17 per cent), dementia including Alzheimer’s disease (up by 12.5 per cent) and cancer (8.3 per cent).
Excess deaths, which is the mortality rate above the historical norm, continues to run at alarmingly high figures in Australia
The main demographics dying in greater numbers were males over 85 years of age and females aged over 75.
For the year to March, Australia’s mortality rate has been running at 11.8 per cent over the historical norm, with 4,451 more deaths than normal.
This is an improvement on the 2022 calendar year when the mortality rate ran at 15 per cent above average, with 25,235 excess deaths.
That alarming jump led to a Senate motion in April, sponsored by Victorian UAP Senator Ralph Babet, to hold an inquiry into why Australians are dying in such high numbers.
The move was voted down by the government and crossbench Senators including the Greens.
Senator Gerard Rennick has called for a parliamentary inquiry into the continuing excess deaths
Queensland LNP Senator Gerard Rennick, who voted for the inquiry, told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday it was still very much needed.
‘We need an inquiry because we have a significant number of excess deaths and we need to know why these deaths occurred.’
Last September the head of Australia’s peak doctor body, the Australian Medical Association (AMA), admitted doctors were baffled by the surge in deaths.
‘There needs to be some research into why this is happening,’ AMA President Professor Steve Robson told Daily Mail Australia.
He pointed to some ‘likely factors’ that could be a hangover from the Covid period of isolation and restrictions where people either couldn’t or were scared of seeing a doctor because of infection risk.
‘People have avoided going to see the doctor for regular checks or to talk about a problem with their health or delayed a trip to the doctor and consequently seen their condition become more serious,’ Prof Robson said.
‘We need to do more to prepare the health system, both to address the impact of Covid on things like waiting lists but also to deal with those patients who have delayed accessing care and now require more serious intervention.’
Among the killer conditions claiming more Australians are cancer, diabetes, dementia and heart conditions
In Australia’s most locked-down state Victoria, more than 6,000 cancer cases were estimated to have been missed during the lockdown periods between April 2020 and April 2022, according to Cancer Council Victoria.
Prof Robson noted that excess deaths in Britain have been running about 10 per cent higher since the Covid pandemic, which has become a major political issue.
Senator Rennick called for an inquiry to also look into whether the Covid vaccines has contributed to the excess deaths.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) says while the life-saving jabs are safe, around 1-2 in every 100,000 people who receive vaccine have developed the heart conditions myocarditis and pericarditis.
A landmark Covid vaccine injury class-action lawsuit was filed in April against the Australian government, the TGA and the Department of Health.
The nationwide suit, which reportedly has 500 members, seeks redress for those allegedly left injured or bereaved by the Covid vaccines.
‘The TGA and regulators around the world continue to monitor and analyse Covid-19 vaccine safety data covering hundreds of millions of people, and the latest evidence from clinical trials and peer-reviewed medical literature,’ a TGA spokesperson previously told Daily Mail Australia.
‘This information continues to overwhelmingly support the safe and effective use of Covid-19 vaccines.’
