Covid becomes Australia’s third most common cause of death in 2022

The estimated 7,100 Covid deaths so far this year have been driven by the Omicron wave and eased restrictions. Photograph: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

There were 7,100 Covid deaths in the first seven months of 2022, according to new research from the Actuaries Institute, making the virus the third most common cause of death so far this year.

Daily surveillance reports from state and territory health departments recorded 9,550 Covid-19 deaths from the start of January until the end of July, including 1,934 deaths in July alone.