Hi Eldric, Your panel 3 raises a real and important question - what on earth happened in Ecuador in 2020?? Panel 1 shows there were two periods of a very steep increase in weekly deaths in that year, well before the vaccines. As you say, a five-fold spike in deaths may be unprecendented. (I am unclear over what period that is – but it is not for the full year of 2020 I think, but only for a few weeks?). What is needed is for people from that country to be made aware of the pattern of deaths and to talk about and discuss their lived experience of that time. A key question I would want to ask is “what were the ‘treatments’ used for people with covid in Ecuador in 2020? Were those ‘treatments’ killing people?”
Just another point, which I am sure you are well aware of, deaths ‘fom covid' is of course what should be used rather than 'covid-related deaths' (which overemphasises covid mortality), but in the early days of the pandemic this was not widely reported. Even deaths ‘from covid’ probably greatly overestimates covid mortality because of the very wide definitions used in coding the disease by the WHO.
Another question your graphs raise that is nothing to do with covid is "why were the number of deaths increasing so much annually even before covid?". I assume that's to do with population growth and ageing? Or does it show a country with a failing health service?
Clare…thank-you for your insightful comments and questions. The deaths are a weekly number and there are 52 points in each year on the graph. The average deaths per week for the two year period of 2018 and 2019 were 1397 per week (72,644 per year). The weekly death spike of 7252 occurred in the first week of April 2020. The average death rate is 1404 per week for the months of March and April for years 2018 and 2019. The weekly death spike of 7252 occurred in the first week of April 2020 which is 5.17 times the average rate for that time of year. Could this be a data error anomaly or something else as you suggested.
I use the term Covid Related Deaths as a general expression as it keeps the analysis simplified.
Your last question(s) related to Ecuador increasing deaths and how this relates to demographics and the health system is beyond my knowledge. Good questions!
Panel 3 is very interesting.
It shows a serious surge in mortality in 2020.
In my country they really pumped the #s. Man with 3 bullet holes in his head tested positive with the PCR and was labeled a COVID victim for example.
There are many people I have noticed that have a PhD saying COVID was a hoax and never existed.
That SARS COV2 was never isolated thus doesn't exist. Dr Sam Bailey as one example.
I had one of these people read a recent artical and they were critical that you used COVID and Sars COV2 in your writing.
I do recall a very bad flu came through my small town like a grass fire.
We all got sick and recovered in early 2020.
I tried to tell everyone that our inate immune system would protect us from further infections but most lined up for the free mRNA therapy.
The gift that keeps on giving.
Cheers Eldric and thank you for today's education.
Hi Eldric, Your panel 3 raises a real and important question - what on earth happened in Ecuador in 2020?? Panel 1 shows there were two periods of a very steep increase in weekly deaths in that year, well before the vaccines. As you say, a five-fold spike in deaths may be unprecendented. (I am unclear over what period that is – but it is not for the full year of 2020 I think, but only for a few weeks?). What is needed is for people from that country to be made aware of the pattern of deaths and to talk about and discuss their lived experience of that time. A key question I would want to ask is “what were the ‘treatments’ used for people with covid in Ecuador in 2020? Were those ‘treatments’ killing people?”
Just another point, which I am sure you are well aware of, deaths ‘fom covid' is of course what should be used rather than 'covid-related deaths' (which overemphasises covid mortality), but in the early days of the pandemic this was not widely reported. Even deaths ‘from covid’ probably greatly overestimates covid mortality because of the very wide definitions used in coding the disease by the WHO.
Another question your graphs raise that is nothing to do with covid is "why were the number of deaths increasing so much annually even before covid?". I assume that's to do with population growth and ageing? Or does it show a country with a failing health service?
Clare…thank-you for your insightful comments and questions. The deaths are a weekly number and there are 52 points in each year on the graph. The average deaths per week for the two year period of 2018 and 2019 were 1397 per week (72,644 per year). The weekly death spike of 7252 occurred in the first week of April 2020. The average death rate is 1404 per week for the months of March and April for years 2018 and 2019. The weekly death spike of 7252 occurred in the first week of April 2020 which is 5.17 times the average rate for that time of year. Could this be a data error anomaly or something else as you suggested.
I use the term Covid Related Deaths as a general expression as it keeps the analysis simplified.
Your last question(s) related to Ecuador increasing deaths and how this relates to demographics and the health system is beyond my knowledge. Good questions!