Questioning voices have recently been heard regarding some extraordinary anomalies, such as the dramatic differences among the dead from coronavirus between, say, Italy and Germany. For example, on March 19, 52 in Germany, 3,405 in Italy.

In Germany who dies of cancer, pneumonia, cardiac arrest and coronavirus, is considered as having died of cancer, pneumonia etc.

That is, the virus is not computed as the cause of death, unless it is the exclusive cause.

In Italy, instead, whoever has contracted the coronavirus, is deemed to have died from it – if he dies – along with pre-existing pathologies.

Aware of this statistical anomaly the Italian Superior Institute for Health has published an analysis based on the medical records of the deceased, that is, those who died from existing causes, to which the coronavirus may have contributed, and those who died from the coronavirus.

In this new statistic, the percentage is 0.8 per cent, comparable to the numbers in Germany.

In truth it is difficult to assess how much the coronavirus may have aggravated preexisting causes.

An answer could be derived from statistics and records of previous years. At the moment this is an open question.

Robert Theobald

Portland Road

Weymouth