By Duncan Murray in Sydney

COVID-19 has skyrocketed to become the third leading cause of death among Australians in 2022, raising a dire warning from experts who insist the pandemic is not over despite widespread messaging to the contrary.

More than 20,000 more people died last year than would have if there was no pandemic, according to figures released by the Actuaries Institute on Thursday.

The number of people dying from COVID-19 is much higher now than at any other point during the pandemic, following the scrapping of most prevention measures at the end of 2021.

Raina MacIntyre, head of the biosecurity research program at the University of NSW’s Kirby Institute, said a key issue now is the relaxed approach most people are taking towards getting booster vaccinations.

“COVID is worse than ever, and we’re doing less than ever about it,” Prof MacIntyre said.

“So-called experts, media and government have disseminated the message since early 2022 that covid’s over, ‘it’s just a cold, it’s nothing’.

“When you say that to people why on earth would they go out and get a vaccine?”

She said everyone should be getting the ATAGI-recommended bivalent vaccine, which protects against new strains of the virus.

“The original vaccines only covered one strain of the virus and that was the one that caused the outbreak in Wuhan,” Prof MacIntyre said.

“Bivalent vaccine has an Omicron strain in it and the original strain so it gives you much better protection.”

Australia recorded 10,300 deaths directly attributed to COVID-19 in 2022, compared to 1400 deaths in 2021, when it was listed as the 34th leading cause of death, according to the Actuaries Institute.

On top of those directly attributable to the virus, 2900 deaths were considered to be COVID-19 related with the virus contributing along with other factors, and 7000 deaths where COVID-19 was not officially listed as a factor but could have played a role in mortality risk.

It makes the virus third only to ischaemic heart disease and dementia as causes of death in Australia, outstripping stroke, lung and colon cancer, lower respiratory disease and diabetes.

Prof MacIntyre is part of the expert group OzSage, which released its own findings about COVID-19 becoming the third leading cause of death earlier this year.

The group is calling for measures including vaccinating children under the age of five, increasing testing rates and mask use, and better ventilation in buildings and shared spaces.

“The virus is airborne, it spreads through the air we breathe, not through someone sneezing into your eye or touching something,” Prof MacIntyre said.

“The majority of transmissions are just inhaling contaminated air.

“If you can open a window and improve ventilation it dramatically reduces the risk.”