The official death count from Hurricane Maria is 64. The real number could exceed more than 4,600, mostly due to delayed or interrupted medical care, according to a new study.
the New England Journal of Medicine. Of these deaths, one-third were attributed to delayed or interrupted health care.
The researchers used these measures to calculate the mortality rate and apply it to the larger population to reach their estimate. While their estimate is substantially higher than the official tally, researchers said it’s still likely to be conservative.
When adjusting for survivor bias and household-size distributions, the estimate increases to more than 5,000, they said.
The findings are likely to ramp up criticism of preparations and responses to natural disasters. Researchers said health-care disruption is now a growing contributor to both morbidity and mortality during these events.
About 14 percent of households surveyed said they weren’t able to access medications, while nearly 10 percent said they needed respiratory equipment that required electricity. Other problems included closed medical facilities and absent doctors.
Meanwhile, the official death count could change. Facing pressure, Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello ordered a review in December.
Source:CNBC
