COVID-19 deaths may be higher than reported

CHICAGO - In Chicago, experts say that COVID-19 and the economic despair it's causing are killing many more people than we realize.

Cook County alone has already seen more than 1,000 extra deaths so far this year compared to 2019.

Cook County’s official COVID-19 toll is 632 dead. But since January 1, there've been 1,047 more deaths than at this time last year. After we contacted the chief medical examiner, she took a closer look.

“We have 400 more pending cases than the same time last year,” said Dr. Ponni Arunkumar. “We most likely are underestimating the number of deaths due to COVID by a large amount.”

Dr. Arunkumar sees signs that financial hardship caused by the coronavirus crisis is also taking lives. There is a surge in so-called "deaths of despair," including opioid overdoses.

“Losing jobs, staying at home could lead to an increase in overdoses. And in some instances, laying off or losing their jobs leads to depression and increases suicides as well,” said Dr. Arunkumar. “We had a case today, an unfortunate person who lost his job, got depressed and he was found hanging.”

Dr. Arunkumar noted it's often the case that the true toll of a pandemic is clear only when the disease has finally run its course.