October 14, 2020

impact of the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic on total mortality in 21 countries

Throughout the pandemic we’ve heard some politicians and experts reject comparisons of the impact of COVID-19 on different countries based on the argument that the data, methodology and timing of the analysis are not comparable across countries.

This study published in Nature Medicine uses national data on deaths and statistical modelling to enable such comparisons. It looks at the all-cause mortality figures during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in 19 industrialised countries in central and western Europe (including England, Wales and Scotland) plus Australia and New Zealand.

Journalists dialled in to this briefing to hear the authors describe their findings and answer questions.

Speakers included:

Prof Majid Ezzati, Professor of Global Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London

Dr Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard, Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Fellow, School of Public Health, Imperial College London

Dr Vasilis Kontis, Honorary Research Associate, School of Public Health, Imperial College London

This Briefing was accompanied by an SMC Roundup of comments