A new report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS] has shown that the Omicron wave from January to September 2022 was the deadliest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic so far.
Released on Wednesday, November 16, the Provisional Mortality Statistics report showed close to 80 per cent of deaths from COVID-19 occurred during the Omicron wave.
ABS health and vital statistics director Lauren Moran said while almost all COVID-related deaths in the first year of the pandemic had COVID-19 recorded as the underlying cause, this has fallen to 72 per cent by August 2022.
“COVID-19 mortality during the pandemic disproportionately affected older people, with deaths among people aged 80-89 accounting for the highest proportion of deaths across all waves,” she said.
“During the Delta wave, Australians born overseas had a rate of death close to four times higher than that of people born in Australia, with rates particularly high for those born in the Middle East, North Africa and South Eastern Europe.
“The disparity decreased during the Omicron wave and since July 2022, the death rate of those born in Australia has been higher.”
According to the ABS statistics, the first wave and the Delta wave had a younger age distribution for mortality compared to the second wave and Omicron wave, while more than half of the deaths during the Delta wave were among people aged under 80, with over a quarter aged under 70.
By comparison, about 30 per cent were aged under 80 and 10 per cent were under 70 during the Omicron wave.
Details: www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/causes-death/provisional-mortality-statistics/jan-jul-2022
