Study of non-COVID-19 deaths shows 2020 increase in several demographics

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-11/uoia-son111720.php

 

News Release 17-Nov-2020
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau

 

March through May saw a significant increase in deaths over previous years - and not just from COVID-19, says a new study from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

When deaths attributed to COVID-19 were removed from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention totals, the death rate in several demographics outpaced the same period in 2019, the study found. The timeframe represents the first three months of response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

•••••

"We know that the pandemic is selectively taking lives. It also seems to be causing ancillary deaths that are not directly caused by COVID-19, but are a consequence of the fact that we have COVID-19 in our society, in our health care system, in our jobs, in our lives. We're trying to capture those effects as data," Jacobson said.

•••••

"Although we don't know why, deaths increased to a greater degree than expected. As someone who has spent their career in medicine and public health, this concerns me," Jokela said. "The concern is that excess deaths will continue to occur during the pandemic, whether it's because people are delaying care for other conditions or because some COVID-19 deaths are going undetected. This is a phenomenon that requires ongoing monitoring and investigation."

There was, however, one demographic that saw a decrease in deaths - females between the ages of 5 and 14.

"The only explanation we can come up with is that if you look at the deaths that occur in that age group, the preponderance of them are accidents. Thus, the shutdowns in much of the country appear to have had a protective effect on young girls," Jacobson said.

•••••