Calif. COVID-19 death claims up 51% since February

Updated data from the California Workers’ Compensation Institute and the Division of Workers Compensation reports COVID-19 death claims have risen 51% since the last update in February.

Focusing on the working-age population of California, infection claims mirrored the overall state growth, both up 31% as of Sept. 14, CWCI President Alex Swedlow said at the Out Front Ideas Elevate virtual conference on Tuesday.

“When we hone down a little bit more into the working population of California, and this was really where many of us in the early days of the pandemic, were trying to estimate the overall effect and cost of the system,” Mr. Swedlow said.

Since February, COVID-19 workers compensation death counts among the working-age population (ages 18-65) rose 80%, compared with the overall state rate of 51%, representing 26% of total deaths.

“The working-age population represents about three out of four infections of all Californians, regardless of age, and about one in four of all fatalities,” Mr. Swedlow said.

Looking at the relationship of the working-age population in workers compensation claims, with almost 158,000 infections, and almost 1,100 fatalities, CWCI reports a growth rate of 28% and 71%, representing about 5% of the overall working-age infected or fatal workers compensation claims, relative to the state.

“With only about a 1-in-20 relationship, it is very much driven by a societal pandemic,” Mr. Swedlow said.

The difference between the pandemic and the pre-pandemic comp claims indicates about a 2% reduction in the overall claim count.

“When we eliminate COVID claims, it's about a 15% difference, so COVID right now is running at about one in eight of all of our workers compensation claims at about 13%,” Mr. Swedlow said.