REPLY TO COMMENT on “Population-Level COVID-19 Mortality Trends”

Published Date: 18th November 2025

Publication Authors:

PREAMBLE
We thank the Editor-in-Chief and her Editorial Team for the opportunity to see and respond to the critique by a colleague, Michael Gdalevich, entitled Population-level COVID-19 Mortality Trends. According to this assessment, the finding of increased COVID-19 mortality in our report was simply an ARTIFACT, and appeared only because an inappropriate methodology not- fit-for-purpose was deployed. Therefore, to the extent of the “textbook ecological fallacy” so identified, the results are invalid, thus, cannot stand. This is an interesting commentary, and we appreciate the passion with which the criticisms were expressed, but with due respect, we DISAGREE.

Okoro, EO; Akpila, AS et al. (2025). REPLY TO COMMENT on “Population-Level COVID-19 Mortality Trends”. International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicine. 36(4). [Online]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/09246479251362606 [Accessed 2 April 2026]