The quiet COVID-19 wave that began in July is now pushing the number of COVID-related deaths reported by U.S. hospitals to the highest level recorded since the week ending Jan. 31, 2023.
Iowa hospitals have been bundling death reports in spurts that throw off the national figures. Excluding the Iowa results, the number of COVID-related deaths reported by U.S. hospitals to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services increased to 876 for the week ending Jan. 11.
That's 15% higher than the comparable total reported for the week ending Jan. 4, and it's 52% higher than the total reported four weeks earlier, for the week ending Dec. 13.
The new weekly COVID death figure is more than twice as high as the total reported for the week ending July 6, when the pandemic seemed to be ending.
What it means: So much for any thoughts of leaving COVID out of the mortality and life expectancy estimates embedded in life insurance planning and income planning arrangements.
