The excess deaths applied to both sexes and appeared to "disproportionately affect those over the age of 85," said the report. Similar studies in countries such as the U.S. and U.K. have also revealed hundreds, sometimes thousands of excess deaths amid the pandemic. Although statistics on COVID-19 deaths are updated daily, it typically takes Statistics Canada up to a year to gather data about other causes of death. Discrepancies in QuebecThe Statistics Canada tally also raises questions about the province hardest hit by the pandemic. Statistics Canada says it's aware its figures for Quebec are likely incomplete, but still sees a persistent trend of excess deaths higher than historical peaks for comparable weeks.

Source: CBC News June 20, 2020 00:40 UTC