How Covid-19 lockdowns caused a surge in alcohol-related deaths but temporarily wiped out the flu

Extended lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne last year coincided with a surge in alcohol-related deaths to a record high – but flu fatalities were almost eliminated.

Draconian restrictions in Australia’s two biggest cities have been associated with mental health problems, with suicide a much more common cause of death than Covid.

Alcohol-related deaths in 2021 climbed by 5.8 per cent with 1,559 people dying from poisoning or liver damage – an increase of 107 fatalities compared with 2020, new Australian Bureau of Statistics data has revealed.

Of those who died last year, 74 per cent or 1,156 of them were males, with females making up the rest of the 403 deaths.

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Extended lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne (pictured in October 2021) last year coincided with a surge in alcohol-related deaths to a record high but flu fatalities were almost eliminated

The male alcohol-related death rate was at a record high in the ABS series going back a decade, with 8.3 deaths for every 100,000 people in 2021 – an 8.1 per cent increase on 2020.

Before the pandemic in 2019, the male death rate from alcohol was 7.4 for every 100,000 people. 

The lockdowns created uncertainty as retailers and many service businesses were banned from serving customers in person indoors.

Suicide was the 15th leading cause of death, while Covid was the 34th most common reason for someone dying.

For males, suicide was the 10th most common cause of death, with men accounting for three-quarters of those who took their own lives. 

The suicide rate was 12 for every 100,000 people, with mental health problems, substance abuse and chronic diseases regarded as common risk factors.

Intentional self harm was the cause of death for 2,358 people in 2021. 

Suicide was the leading cause of child death, with 112 children taking their lives in a year when schools were closed.

By comparison, 1,122 people died of Covid, split between 660 male deaths and 462 female deaths.

Alcohol-related deaths in 2021 climbed by 5.8 per cent with 1,559 people dying from poisoning or liver damage – an increase of 107 fatalities compared with 2020, new Australian Bureau of Statistics data has revealed (pictured is a stock image)

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The median age of dying was 79.1, with 98.9 per cent of deaths from Covid occurring during the Delta wave of the pandemic from July to December last year.

But there were only two deaths from influenza last year, a record low.

Respiratory illnesses accounted for 39.1 deaths per 100,000, the second-lowest on record. 

Australia had 171,469 deaths in 2021 – an age-standardised death rate of 507.2 deaths for every 100,000 people.

Ischaemic heart disease was the leading cause of death, accounting for 10.1 per cent of all deaths, with 17,331 succumbing to this illness.

Dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, was Australia’s second most common death, with a median fatality age of 89.2 and 15,940 fatalities.

Cerebrovascular diseases, lung cancer and chronic lower respiratory diseases rounded out the top five leading causes.

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