by: taylor campbell
in the first four months of 2021, more windsor-essex residents died of covid-19 than from any other cause.
regional data from statistics canada on causes of death obtained by the windsor star reveal cancer, heart disease, strokes, upper respiratory diseases, accidents — typically the leading causes of death for local residents, and people across ontario and canada — took a back seat to the novel coronavirus during the peak of the second wave.
a whopping 244 local covid deaths were reported between jan. 1 and may 1 of this year, an average of just over two people per day. that’s followed by malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumours), with roughly 200 deaths; diseases of the heart (about 165 deaths); cerebrovascular diseases and unintentional injuries (about 40 deaths each); and chronic lower respiratory diseases (about 30 deaths).
to medical officer of health dr. wajid ahmed, the pandemic’s death toll is not a surprise.
“any (new) infectious disease that is highly transmissible, if it comes, it will lead to more people getting sick and more people dying,” ahmed told the star.
in the developed world, he said, “we have come a long way in by taking care of infectious diseases,” with advancements in medical technology and the availability of antibiotics and treatments, but those haven’t cured covid-19.