Tasmania experiences the highest rate of excess deaths following COVID-19

According to a new report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Tasmania has the highest excess mortality rate in the nation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ABS report found excess mortality in Tasmania was 17.3 per cent higher than expected for the first quarter of 2023, with Tasmania as the only jurisdiction where excess mortality had increased.

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ABS head of health statistics Lauren Moran said increased mortality was a nationwide phenomenon.

"[This] release offers a complete view of Australia's excess mortality rates from January 2020 to March 2023 to help researchers understand the number of deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic and how this compares to our expected mortality rates across all states and territories," she said.

"In short, excess mortality is measured by looking at all deaths recorded in a period, then analysing those against a baseline of 'expected deaths', which consider things like ageing populations and other health factors.

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"Excess mortality is estimated at approximately 9 per cent for the first quarter of 2023, meaning we're still seeing a higher-than-expected number of deaths."

Ms Moran said COVID-19 was the main contributor to excess mortality during 2022, with deaths during this period matching the spread of the Omicron variant.

In Tasmania in 2021, the official figure of deaths directly attributed to COVID-19 was 0.

By 2022, the official figure of deaths directly attributed to COVID-19 in Tasmania was 335.

ABS figures indicate the total number of excess deaths from all causes between 2021 and 2023 to be 1038.

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"In the last two weeks of March, the number of deaths exceeded the upper range of the usual limits of variation," the ABS said.

"Tasmania is the only jurisdiction where excess mortality was higher in the first quarter of 2023, at 17.3 per cent above expected than the first quarter of 2022 at 12.3 per cent."

Prior to September 2021, the ABS found that mortality in Tasmania was generally in the expected range. Similar to other states, there was a period of lower-than-expected mortality in 2020.

Public Health Director Mark Veitch said while excess mortality was a complex subject, Tasmania's figures had varied due to seasonal fluctuations and the state's demographics.

"It may well be a combination of a range of factors that contribute to higher health risk among some people in Tasmania and COVID-19," he said.

"I think what's going to be particularly important is to see what happens over the course of this year.

"I would hope that with ongoing vaccination, ongoing provision of antivirals, we see the excess mortality shrink or even drop below what we normally see."

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