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Summarised by Centrist
A Greek study reviewing 530 hospital deaths in Athens during 2022 has found that nearly half of the patients officially recorded as COVID fatalities did not die from the virus.
The retrospective audit, which involved analysis of full medical files and input from treating physicians, concluded that only 25% of the deaths were directly caused by COVID.
Another 30% were partially attributable to the virus, while 45% of the patients died from unrelated causes but happened to test positive.
Researchers said the findings raise concerns about the accuracy of official death certification, with many cases recorded as COVID-related despite being due to other conditions such as liver failure, advanced cancer, or trauma.
The study also noted that over half of those who died from COVID had been vaccinated, most with booster shots. In some instances, patients contracted the virus while already hospitalised and were subsequently classified as COVID deaths even though the virus was not the primary cause.
The authors argue that these findings reflect systemic flaws in how COVID mortality was tracked, particularly the practice, common across several countries, of attributing any death within a set time frame of a positive test to the virus.
The study’s lead author, Dr John Ioannidis of Stanford University, said the results show the need for more precise mortality attribution and questioned whether inflated figures were used to justify restrictive public health policies.
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