Only 83 people have died solely from COVID-19 in Australia since the start of the pandemic.
A TV broadcaster has claimed only 83 Australians have been killed solely by COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, creating a social media frenzy that included demands for the imprisonment of the prime minister and state premiers.
But the claim is wrong – in fact, the figure of 83 refers to people who had the coronavirus when they died but their death was caused by something else.
Broadcaster Paul Murray was referencing Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data on COVID-19 deaths recorded in Australia up until January 31 on his program on Sky News Australia. During his show on February 15, Mr Murray walks viewers through the report’s findings in a bid to “put it in perspective”.
“To quote from the Bureau of Statistics today: ‘chronic cardiac conditions were the most common pre-existing chronic condition for those who had COVID-19 certified as an underlying cause of death.’ So, how many people have actually died not with but exclusively from COVID in Australia in the past couple of years? It is 83,” he says (audio mark 59min 18sec).
A screen grab from Mr Murray’s program highlighting the incorrectly explained 83 figure was shared on social media, including this Instagram post. “COVID facts, not fear, Let’s have some perspective. Actual number killed only by COVID: 83,” reads the text in the image. The claim also showed up on Twitter (here, here and here), Facebook (here) and...
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