Why are Excess Deaths Considered as Inconvenient Facts?

Vejon Health
15 Apr 202413:46

Summary

TLDRDr. Philip McMillan discusses the controversial topic of excess deaths related to COVID-19, suggesting that the recent shift in statistical methodology by the UK's Office for National Statistics may be an attempt to downplay the issue. He warns that despite changes in how excess mortality is calculated, the significant rise in economically inactive people due to long-term sickness cannot be ignored. McMillan emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and addressing the potential causes behind these alarming numbers, rather than avoiding the 'elephant in the room,' for the sake of public health and the well-being of the population.

Takeaways

  • 📈 Dr. Philip McMillan discusses the topic of excess deaths related to COVID-19, suggesting it's an inconvenient truth that has been largely ignored.
  • 🔍 He highlights the potential for a statistical trap in the way excess deaths are being discussed and calculated, cautioning his audience to be aware of this.
  • 📉 The UK's Office for National Statistics has changed its methodology for estimating excess deaths, which could affect the interpretation of current trends.
  • 🤔 Dr. McMillan questions the timing and rationale behind the change in statistical methods, especially considering the ongoing debate about excess deaths.
  • 📅 A comparison of the old and new methods for calculating excess deaths is provided, showing a divergence in the numbers since 2019.
  • 📊 The new statistical model is more complex, which could make it difficult for the general public to understand and potentially be used to downplay the issue.
  • 😷 There is a noted increase in the number of economically inactive people due to long-term sickness in the UK, which is a cause for concern.
  • 📚 Dr. McMillan is preparing a comprehensive package on general immunity and the immune system's role in COVID-19, particularly concerning cytokine storms.
  • 📢 He emphasizes the importance of not ignoring the issue of excess deaths and the need for transparency and acknowledgment to address it properly.
  • 👥 The impact of excess deaths is not limited to numbers; it affects friends, family, workers, and co-workers, making it a pressing societal issue.
  • ⏳ Dr. McMillan predicts that the current methodologies will have to be changed again within six months due to the persistently high numbers of sick people, indicating that the issue of excess deaths is not going away.

Q & A

  • What is the main topic of discussion in the transcript?

    -The main topic of discussion is the issue of excess deaths related to COVID-19 and the changes in the methodology for estimating excess mortality in the UK.

  • Who is Dr. Philip McMillan and what is his focus?

    -Dr. Philip McMillan is a speaker in the transcript who has been discussing COVID-19 since early 2020, with a focus on autoimmunity and raising awareness about important and often overlooked topics related to the disease.

  • What does Dr. McMillan refer to as the 'elephant in the room'?

    -The 'elephant in the room' refers to the ignored yet obvious issue of excess deaths potentially linked to COVID-19 policies and their broader health impacts.

  • What change did the UK's Office for National Statistics make regarding the estimation of excess deaths?

    -The Office for National Statistics changed the statistical model used to estimate excess deaths, moving from a simple five-year average to a more complex average that accounts for trends in population size, aging, and mortality rates.

  • Why does Dr. McMillan suggest that the recent decision to debate excess deaths could be a trap?

    -Dr. McMillan suggests it could be a trap because the new, more complex statistical model may be used to argue that there are no excess deaths, thereby dismissing the need for further investigation or discussion.

  • What is the 'Frontiers in Immunity' event mentioned by Dr. McMillan?

    -The 'Frontiers in Immunity' event is part of the advanced COVID-360 presentation series where Dr. McMillan aims to present comprehensive research related to general immunity and the immune system's response to COVID-19.

  • What does Dr. McMillan believe is the significance of the rising number of economically inactive people due to long-term sickness in the UK?

    -Dr. McMillan believes this unprecedented rise indicates a serious issue that needs to be addressed, as it suggests a large number of people are becoming sick, which inevitably leads to excess deaths that cannot be ignored or hidden by methodological changes.

  • Why does Dr. McMillan think that the issue of excess deaths is not going away?

    -Dr. McMillan thinks the issue is not going away because the number of people getting sick and dying is high and unprecedented, and it has been rising since 2020, which suggests an ongoing problem that requires acknowledgment and mitigation.

  • What is the 'debate' that Dr. McMillan anticipates will occur around excess deaths?

    -The debate Dr. McMillan anticipates will focus on whether the new statistical model accurately represents the current situation regarding excess deaths, and whether the high numbers of economically inactive people due to sickness are related to COVID-19 or other factors.

  • What is the potential 'trap' Dr. McMillan refers to in the context of the new statistical model for estimating excess deaths?

    -The potential 'trap' is that the new model could be used to argue that excess deaths are not as high as previously thought, which could be misleading and used to end discussions or avoid addressing the underlying health issues.

  • Why is Dr. McMillan concerned about the timing of the change in the statistical model for estimating excess deaths?

    -Dr. McMillan is concerned because the change was made at a time when there is significant public and political scrutiny over excess deaths, which raises questions about the motivations behind the change and whether it is intended to influence the debate.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 The Elephant in the Room: Excess Deaths Debate

Dr. Philip McMillan discusses the controversial topic of excess deaths related to COVID-19, emphasizing the need for transparency and awareness. He highlights the recent shift in the UK's methodology for estimating excess mortality, which has led to a complex statistical model that may be used to downplay the issue. Dr. McMillan warns that despite changes in calculation methods, the underlying problem of excess deaths is not going away and needs to be addressed.

05:01

📉 The Changing Trends and the Potential Trap

The video script details the change in the UK's approach to estimating excess deaths, with a new method introduced in February 2024. This new method has resulted in a different trend compared to the old one, showing a decrease in excess deaths as of March 29, 2024. Dr. McMillan suggests that this could be a trap to dismiss the issue of excess deaths, as the new statistical model makes it difficult for the public to understand and thus, debate. He also raises concerns about the implications of lockdown decisions and their potential contribution to increased sickness and death rates.

10:03

📈 Unprecedented Rise in Economically Inactive Due to Long-Term Sickness

Dr. McMillan presents data from Statista showing a dramatic rise in the number of economically inactive people due to long-term sickness in the UK, reaching an unprecedented 2.8 million by January 2024. He argues that this indicates a serious issue that needs to be addressed, rather than ignored or dismissed. The speaker calls for acknowledgment and mitigation of the problem, likening the avoidance of addressing excess deaths to ignoring cancer until it's too late to resolve.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Autoimmunity

Autoimmunity refers to a condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own cells. In the context of the video, Dr. Philip McMillan discusses how he has been focusing on autoimmunity in relation to COVID-19, indicating the importance of understanding the immune system's role in the disease's pathology.

💡Excess Deaths

Excess deaths refer to the number of deaths above what would be expected based on historical trends. The video discusses the controversy and debate around excess deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that this is a critical issue that needs to be addressed and not ignored.

💡Statistical Model

A statistical model is a mathematical representation of a real-world process. In the video, Dr. McMillan talks about the changes made to the statistical model used by the UK's Office for National Statistics to estimate excess mortality, which has implications for how excess deaths are calculated and understood.

💡Economically Inactive

Economically inactive refers to individuals who are not currently available for work. The video presents data showing a dramatic rise in the number of economically inactive people due to long-term sickness in the UK, which is a key concern raised by Dr. McMillan as it indicates a broader health issue that needs attention.

💡Cytokine Storm

A cytokine storm is a potentially deadly immune reaction involving an excessive release of cytokines, which can lead to multi-organ failure. It is mentioned in the context of the immune system's response to COVID-19, emphasizing Dr. McMillan's focus on general immunity in relation to the disease.

💡Lockdowns

Lockdowns are severe restrictions on movement and social interaction implemented to control the spread of a disease. The video suggests that decisions regarding lockdowns may have contributed to excess deaths and other health issues, such as obesity and increased alcohol consumption.

💡Elephant in the Room

The phrase 'elephant in the room' is used to describe an obvious issue that is being ignored or not addressed. In the video, Dr. McMillan uses this metaphor to describe the reluctance to discuss excess deaths, suggesting that it's a significant problem that needs to be acknowledged.

💡Omicron

Omicron is a variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19. The video discusses the impact of the Omicron variant and questions whether it adequately explains the ongoing issues with excess deaths and long-term sickness.

💡Frontiers in Immunity

Frontiers in Immunity is presumably an event or publication that Dr. McMillan is associated with, which is part of the 'advanced COVID-360' presentation. It is mentioned to highlight the comprehensive research being done on immunity and its relevance to COVID-19.

💡Methodological Changes

Methodological changes refer to alterations in the methods or techniques used in a study or analysis. The video discusses how changes in the method for estimating excess deaths in the UK could be a way to manipulate the perception of the issue, which is a point of concern for Dr. McMillan.

💡Mitigation

Mitigation involves taking action to reduce the severity or impact of a problem. In the video, Dr. McMillan argues that acknowledging excess deaths is the first step towards mitigation, suggesting that without recognition, no effective measures can be taken to address the issue.

Highlights

Dr. Philip McMillan discusses the topic of excess deaths related to COVID-19 and the potential for it to be an inconvenient truth globally.

Andrew Bridgend in the UK has been raising awareness about excess deaths, despite facing pushback.

A recent debate around excess deaths was initiated around April 12th, which Dr. McMillan cautions could be a trap.

Frontiers in Immunity is an upcoming presentation by Dr. McMillan, focusing on advanced COVID-360 research and immunity system relevance to COVID-19.

The UK's Office of National Statistics made significant changes to the methodology for estimating excess mortality in February 2024.

The new statistical model for estimating excess deaths is more complex and may be used to downplay the issue.

A comparison between the old and new methods shows a divergence in the number of excess deaths recorded post-2019.

Dr. McMillan questions the timing of the statistical model change amidst ongoing discussions about excess deaths.

The new method shows a current trend where excess deaths are below the expected mortality rate, which could be used to dismiss the issue.

There is a dramatic rise in the number of economically inactive people due to long-term sickness in the UK, with a peak in January 2024.

Dr. McMillan emphasizes the unprecedented nature of the rise in sickness and the need to understand the underlying causes.

The potential connection between lockdown decisions and the rise in sickness and deaths is a topic that needs further investigation.

The issue of excess deaths is not going away and will likely require new methodologies to be changed again within six months.

Dr. McMillan calls for acknowledgment and mitigation of excess deaths, likening the avoidance to ignoring cancer until it's too late.

The importance of understanding and addressing the health of the population is stressed, rather than avoiding difficult discussions.

Dr. McMillan warns that avoiding the topic of excess deaths will not make the issue disappear and it is crucial for the health of working-age people.

The conclusion is a call to action for leaders to make decisions based on the health interests of the population and not on avoiding controversy.

Transcripts

play00:04

hi good evening to everyone I'm Dr

play00:07

Philip McMillan I've been talking about

play00:09

covid for a while since early 2020

play00:12

focused on autoimmunity around the

play00:14

disease I also pick up on important

play00:17

topics that I think need to be raised to

play00:20

my subscribers so that they are well

play00:23

aware of some of the shenanigans

play00:26

occurring across the world around

play00:28

covid-19 one one of them is that excess

play00:31

deaths seems to be an extremely

play00:35

inconvenient

play00:37

discussion across the world you find

play00:41

that many people ignore it because

play00:43

they're concerned about a potential link

play00:46

to an elephant in the room I've spoken

play00:49

about this quite often and I like the

play00:51

association because what it does is that

play00:54

it demonstrates that when there is

play00:56

something really obvious that is ignored

play01:00

it points to an elephant in the room

play01:02

knocking over chairs and it needs to be

play01:06

addressed so what has happened is that

play01:09

Andrew Bridgend in the UK has continued

play01:12

to raise awareness on this and he has

play01:15

been put down on many times about it but

play01:18

for some reason in the past few weeks it

play01:23

seems around the 12th of April I think

play01:25

they decided that they will have a

play01:27

debate around excess deaths you have to

play01:30

be careful this could be a trap and you

play01:33

need to understand what it is that they

play01:35

are probably planning to do around this

play01:38

so please be aware so before I start

play01:41

explaining what I think is happening

play01:44

I'll give you an important update so

play01:47

coming up in another few days is

play01:50

Frontiers in immunity now it doesn't

play01:53

sound too exciting but it is part of the

play01:56

advanced covid

play01:57

360 and this is the presentation that

play02:00

will represent the second part of this

play02:03

course that I'm doing where I'm trying

play02:05

to capture as much of the research that

play02:08

have done over the past four years and

play02:11

put it together in a comprehensive

play02:13

package that's relevant to co9 so even

play02:17

in in terms of the immunity what I'm

play02:19

focused on is General immunity and the

play02:22

immune system that is relevant around

play02:25

covid-19 especially with regards to the

play02:27

cyto kind storm so if you want to join

play02:30

me register at the link below it will be

play02:33

coming up in just a few days so thank

play02:37

you very much for that let's get back to

play02:41

this inconvenient excess deaths debate

play02:44

what made the politicians changed their

play02:46

minds you have to wonder why suddenly

play02:50

have they decided yeah okay let's have

play02:53

this debate so Andre Bon be prepared

play02:57

this may be a trap so let's show you

play03:00

where the Trap has been

play03:03

laid estimating excess debts in the UK

play03:06

methodology changes February

play03:09

2024 and this was about the fact that

play03:12

the office of uh National statistics

play03:15

went about making some significant

play03:18

changes to the way that they looked and

play03:21

estimated excess mortality they were

play03:24

pointing out that Trends in population

play03:26

size aging and mortality rates account

play03:30

for by the new method for estimating

play03:33

expected numbers of deaths used in the

play03:35

calculation of excess mortality so in

play03:38

effect they came up with a different

play03:40

statistical model and so instead of the

play03:44

previous or the current method which

play03:46

uses a simple five-year average they've

play03:49

changed it to a much more complex

play03:52

average that they use to work out excess

play03:55

deaths now I'm not a statistician but I

play03:58

can tell you that when I look at the

play04:00

formula I thought I have no idea what

play04:03

this is but this is how they calculate

play04:05

it and it will come up with a number

play04:08

that is just very complex to understand

play04:12

but it's probably there for a

play04:13

statistician and therefore they can use

play04:16

this to say and discuss about excess

play04:20

deaths so here is what it looks like in

play04:24

reality now before I show you the

play04:26

current Trend you'll have to first see

play04:29

what happened and they did the new

play04:31

method for the past as well so this is

play04:34

what it looks like so here is the in

play04:37

dark blue is the current method this is

play04:41

it here and the new method and they've

play04:45

gone back in time and so zero is where

play04:48

there are no excess deaths minus meaning

play04:51

less above meaning higher they were

play04:54

looking from 2011 all the way to

play04:57

2019 and you can see here that largely

play05:01

they trended along but you can start to

play05:03

see a split out in terms of dark blue so

play05:06

it was higher using the old method and

play05:11

lower using the new method up to

play05:14

2019 so the first good news is that they

play05:17

have got something here which is a

play05:19

comparison for the previous times but

play05:22

again the question is ask well why did

play05:25

you make this change at this point when

play05:28

there is a question about ESS deaths so

play05:31

how does this trend then look when we

play05:34

look at the current period of time and

play05:37

again this is here the link is in the

play05:39

description if you want to see it so

play05:41

here again this is your zero line going

play05:44

through this is above this is below and

play05:48

you can see here in 2020 both spiked

play05:51

with regards to covid-19 in

play05:54

2021 around the Delta wave comes down

play05:57

well no this is probably more the Delta

play05:59

wave wave then in 2022 it remains above

play06:03

the zero all the way through and then

play06:06

based on their blue line they're saying

play06:08

here that this has now come down below

play06:12

zero so if you are using the blue line

play06:15

it's still above and this is the

play06:19

previous method that was used that was

play06:21

causing the question around excess death

play06:24

so this is where I think the Trap has

play06:26

been laid and one has to think very

play06:29

carefully as to what is happening so

play06:31

look at this again so this now is deaths

play06:35

registered weekly in England and Wales

play06:38

ending the 29th of March 2024 so this is

play06:41

just about a couple weeks ago and when

play06:44

you slide down this here you can now see

play06:49

what it is that they are doing here so

play06:51

this is weekly Debs and you can see this

play06:54

is January

play06:56

2023 and the blue Mark here represents

play07:00

the expected deaths so in January 2023

play07:04

it was above it and then gradually it's

play07:06

come below it and based on what they can

play07:10

say excitedly 29th of March

play07:13

2024 it is based on the new method of uh

play07:17

calculating it significantly below the

play07:21

expected mortality this is the

play07:24

Trap because what they will say when

play07:27

they come to this meeting is they well

play07:29

actually there is no excess deaths when

play07:33

we look at it and look at our

play07:35

statistical methods that have been

play07:36

improved excess debts are down so when

play07:39

you have the debate they can genuinely

play07:42

say there is nothing to see here that's

play07:47

the trap now I genuinely don't

play07:51

understand why they're not concerned

play07:54

about excess deaths because many of

play07:56

these people were involved in decisions

play07:58

with regards to lock Downs is it

play08:00

possible that that could be a

play08:01

contributing factor yes maybe it led to

play08:04

obesity people drinking more um why

play08:07

wouldn't you want to know that why

play08:09

wouldn't you want to address it I think

play08:12

that the issue lies right with the

play08:15

elephant it seems that

play08:18

because there was a

play08:21

mandating around the

play08:23

elephant if there is an issue everyone

play08:27

involved in pushing that

play08:30

through is in theory liable not just

play08:33

companies but governments individuals

play08:36

people who promoted it nobody seems to

play08:39

want to

play08:41

know I understand that and I can see why

play08:44

people are anxious but there is a

play08:46

problem this is not going to go away and

play08:49

I'll tell you why I say that again I did

play08:52

this um point a little bit um recently

play08:56

take a look at this this is from from

play09:00

statista and this is looking at the

play09:02

number of economically inactive people

play09:05

due to long-term sickness in the United

play09:07

Kingdom and this was up to January

play09:10

2024 this represents

play09:13

1993 it went up to a peak here in about

play09:16

97 stayed there gradually came down to

play09:19

about here which is

play09:22

2019 and then it does this dramatic rise

play09:26

to a level that we have not seen before

play09:29

and this is in the thousands that is

play09:32

2.8 million who are economically

play09:36

inactive we're talking about working

play09:38

aged people here's the problem there

play09:42

clearly is something going on so it's

play09:44

one thing to say that there are no

play09:46

excess deaths or you arguing that there

play09:49

are no excess deaths but I'm telling you

play09:51

there are a lot of people who are sick

play09:54

and sick people die and based on that

play09:58

trend

play09:59

no matter how many methodological

play10:02

changes that you use you will not be

play10:06

able to hide this kind of number again

play10:10

look at it this is

play10:13

unprecedented we need to understand what

play10:17

in the world is going on here this

play10:20

started from 2020 some of it was covid

play10:22

but beyond that with Omicron that

play10:26

doesn't make sense and so therefore it

play10:29

means that there is an issue here that

play10:31

needs to be addressed as I said to you

play10:35

there is an elephant here and I I can

play10:40

understand the reasons why people in

play10:42

power don't want to consider the

play10:45

elephant but genuinely if you are

play10:47

interested in the health of your

play10:50

population and you are seeing that more

play10:52

people are getting sick more people are

play10:57

dying if it could be possible this is a

play11:01

point I'm not saying it is I'm just

play11:03

saying if it could be possible that this

play11:07

is relevant and this is part of the

play11:10

reason why this is

play11:13

occurring why would you not want to

play11:16

know is it more important for people to

play11:19

save face and to feel safe not caring

play11:24

because remember you know the people who

play11:26

are affected here are not just random

play11:29

people people these are your friends

play11:31

this is your

play11:33

family this is your workers your

play11:36

co-workers why in the world would you

play11:40

want to ignore that if there is

play11:43

something that could be

play11:46

done these are difficult times and as I

play11:49

said I think that this is a trap they

play11:53

want to kill this discussion they don't

play11:55

want it to continue but I'm just warning

play11:58

them

play11:59

this is not going to go away within

play12:03

another few months within six months

play12:06

those new methodologies will have to be

play12:08

changed again because the death numbers

play12:11

are going to be high if many people are

play12:14

sick just remember this these are

play12:16

working age people where this is

play12:19

happening to when this whatever is

play12:22

causing this occurs in the elderly they

play12:26

die but in the younger cohort they get

play12:28

sick

play12:29

and eventually if you leave it alone

play12:32

they will die excess deaths is not going

play12:35

anywhere it needs to be addressed it

play12:37

needs to be

play12:39

understood it needs to be acknowledged

play12:41

because without acknowledgement there is

play12:44

no opportunity for

play12:47

mitigation it's like ignoring the

play12:50

cancer until it is so obvious that it is

play12:55

visible to

play12:56

everyone guaranteed it will be too late

play12:59

to

play12:59

resolve it's likely to be the same with

play13:03

regards to excess deaths let's get

play13:05

people who are truly interested in the

play13:08

health of their population leading and

play13:12

making the decisions about the

play13:14

directions that we take have a great

play13:17

evening

play13:21

[Music]

Rate This

5.0 / 5 (0 votes)

Связанные теги
COVID-19Excess DeathsAutoimmunityStatistical AnalysisHealth DebateUK StatisticsPublic AwarenessMortality TrendsHealth PolicyLong-term SicknessEconomic Impact
Вам нужно краткое изложение на английском?