: He argues that the increase cannot be fully explained by COVID-19 itself (which he claims was becoming less virulent by 2021), suicides, drug overdoses, or missed cancer screenings. Scientific and Critical Reception
: He contends that a 10% increase in excess deaths is typically a once-in-200-year event; thus, a 40% jump represents an "earth-shaking" anomaly.
: Dowd frequently cites public disclosures from the CEO of OneAmerica insurance, stating that death rates among working-age individuals (ages 18–64) rose by 40% in late 2021 compared to pre-pandemic levels. Cause Unknown - Ed Dowd
The following overview summarizes the core arguments and data presented in Cause Unknown: The Epidemic of Sudden Deaths in 2021 & 2022 by Edward Dowd, along with the critiques from the broader scientific and fact-checking communities.
: Experts from the CDC and various medical journals attribute the 2021 excess deaths to the spread of highly contagious variants like Delta and Omicron , which caused significant mortality even in younger groups. : He argues that the increase cannot be
: Dowd's primary thesis is that the introduction of mass COVID-19 vaccination campaigns and employment mandates in 2021 is the only major variable that changed to account for this sudden spike.
The book's claims have been widely challenged by public health experts and fact-checkers : The following overview summarizes the core arguments and
Published in 2022 by Skyhorse Publishing in partnership with Children’s Health Defense, this book argues that there was an unprecedented and unexplained surge in excess mortality among young and working-age people starting in 2021. Edward Dowd, a former BlackRock portfolio manager, uses his background in financial pattern recognition to analyze actuarial and insurance data.
