In January to March 2022, 760 people died in Iceland, a sharp increase of 30% compared with the previous year. Excess mortality in the first quarter against the average for the past five years is 28%.
Chief Epidemiologist Thorolfur Gudnason, who recently fell seriously ill with COVID-19 despite triple vaccination, which according to him provides excellent protection against serious illness, says Covid may explain this increase. However, as 64 people have died with COVID-19 since the start of the year, this might explain at most a third of the increase of 168 deaths, as it is unknown what proportion of the 64 deceased actually died from Covid rather than with Covid but from a different underlying cause (in England and Wales this proportion is 64%, according to official data). Two deaths following vaccination were reported in the first quarter – though the under-reporting rate of vaccine injuries in Iceland is unknown.
What, then, explains deaths jumping by 28%, from an average of 592 over the previous five years – fluctuating between a minimum of 560 and a maximum of 620 – to 760 in 2022?
The explanation for most of those excess deaths is clearly not COVID-19, and the breakdown of deaths by cause is not yet available. Judging from weekly data available it seems the bulk of the excess mortality was among the over-70s. Mass vaccination was mostly over by autumn 2021, but in late November, December and January about a third of the population, predominantly people middle-aged and older, got their third dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
By the end of March, the media reported a rapid rise in influenza infections, but this can hardly be a contributing factor with only 10 hospitalisations reported and no deaths.
So we have an unprecedented surge in excess mortality in the first quarter of 2022, a third of which at most may be attributed to COVID-19. The rest remains unexplained and the only notable health-related event that occurred around the same time was booster vaccination of a third of the population. Notably, in many other countries mortality, which was elevated in the second half of 2021 (for reasons not yet fully understood), was back to normal in early 2022. But then, the booster campaigns in those countries took place earlier than in Iceland.
Thorsteinn Siglaugsson is an economist who lives in Iceland. Find him on his blog.
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What could possibly go wrong.
The threat to us of Chinese firms with connections to the CCP is almost insignificant compared to the immediate and massive threat we face right now on a daily basis from our own ruling class who have in the last few days revealed with astonishing clarity that they don’t understand the difference between the environment and climate change.
Boris Johnson and Kemi Badenoch and presumably all the rest of them thought Net Zero was a good idea because it would improve the environment, clearly not realising that it is a project to eliminate CO2 which is no way related to how clean the environment is.
That level of stupidity and ignorance from people with actual power over us is far far more dangerous than any Chinese company.
Indeed – and which was the more dangerous – the “Chinese virus” or the catastrophic “reaction” to it by governments all over the rich world?
Never trust anything branded SMART – In a past life, we had work objectives that were meant to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timed.
In that line of business, few objectives ever survived contact with reality for very long.
Know thine enemy.
The Chinese will rule the world without a single shot being fired, and our dopey government thinks the Chinese are a state to trust with our energy supply and infrastructure. Barking mad.
That is their plan, and has been for many, many years…
Bogeyman China. Just imagine what would happen to UK’s energy grid if China switched off all our solar power – nothing?
If you do not wish to buy Chinese products then buy another country’s products or, better still, make your own.
Ah but that would require thinking further ahead than a week next Tuesday, AND it might be a few quid more… can’t have that!