Dementia deaths in Australia fell during Covid-19 pandemic
Early evidence suggests measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus such as Melbourne’s lockdown reduced the chances of other infections
The death rate of Australians with dementia fell during the Covid-19 pandemic as measures to contain the spread reduced the risk of other infections as well, a new report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has found.
The report, Dementia Deaths During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Australia, found the death rate was down during the first 10 months of 2020, with the difference particularly apparent during the winter months when deaths usually peak.
The AIHW looked at mortality data collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics to examine deaths among people who had dementia recorded on their death certificates between January and October 2020. Of the 858 people who died due to Covid-19 in that period, 30% had dementia.
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