On Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the mortality rate in 24 European countries surveyed totaled 159,000. That is 9 percent more than the number of reported corona deaths in these countries.
The death rate means that 159,000 more people died than in the same period last year. The official death toll from Covid-19 is 146,000. Of those 159,000 deceased, 143,000 were over 65 years of age, but in England in particular, mortality among people under 65 was significantly higher than normal.
What is also striking about the figures is that in many countries the excess mortality corresponds quite well with the official numbers of corona deaths. Belgium has even been industrious. The country recorded the highest death rate per 100,000 inhabitants in Europe throughout the crisis. Experts explained this earlier by the very accurate method compared to, for example, the Netherlands.
That appears to be the case. If you look at the excess mortality, you will see that many more people have died from Covid-19 in the Netherlands than in Belgium. If you look at the official reports from RIVM, you would think that the situation in our country is less serious than with the southern neighbors.
The Netherlands reported 5,660 deaths on 17 May as a result of the new corona virus. In Belgium, the counter was at 8,258. However, the excess mortality was 9,405 in the Netherlands and 7,814 in Belgium, according to a graph in The Economist.
In the Netherlands, therefore, only about 60 percent of the excess mortality is explained by the official corona figures, while that percentage in Belgium is above 100 percent. Most countries, by the way, are better at counting than the Netherlands. Only in Italy, Austria and some cities are the figures so close to reality.
Sources): The Economist De Volkskrant –
– .
