Suicide rates before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta- analysis (preprint)

Purpose The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental health issues such as depression and anxiety are well-documented in the literature, but its influence on suicidal patterns shows divergent results. We aim to comprehensively synthesize evidence on potential changes or stability of suicide rates during the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide.Methods A comprehensive search of studies reporting suicide rates before and during the COVID-19 pandemic was conducted. Eligible studies reported incidences of confirmed suicides (suspected in special cases) for two time periods, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A meta-analysis of proportions using a random-effect model was performed to estimate the pre and during pandemic incidence rates of suicide with 95% confidence intervals. Differences in pre and during pandemic rates were formally tested using a heterogeneity test.Results A total of 34 studies were included in the review capturing suicide data from over 40 countries and regions. The meta-analysis outputs did not indicate a significant change in suicide rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pooled suicide rate in the studied period before the pandemic was 11.38 (95% CI 9.35–13.42) and in the period during the pandemic was 10.65 (95% CI 8.61–12.68).Conclusion No significant change in suicide rates was observed during the COVID pandemic from a global perspective for the periods examined. A longer follow-up can provide additional insights into such suicide trends globally. Improvements in data reporting, specifically with implementation of real-time surveillance, is imperative to provide adequate suicide prevention and support.

Estimating the direct Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) associated with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) in the Republic of Ireland: The first full year (preprint)

Objectives Burden of Disease frameworks facilitate estimation of the health impact of diseases to be translated into a single measure, such as the Disability-Adjusted-Life-Year (DALY). Methods DALYs were calculated as the sum of Years of Life Lost (YLL) and Years Lived with Disability (YLD) directly associated with COVID-19 in the Republic of Ireland (RoI) from March 01, 2020, to February 28, 2021. Life expectancy is based on the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study life tables for 2019. Results There were 220,273 confirmed cases with a total of 4,500 deaths as a direct result of COVID-19. DALYs were estimated to be 51,532.1 (95% Uncertainty Intervals [UI] 50,671.6, 52,294.3). Overall, YLL contributed to 98.7% of the DALYs. Of total symptomatic cases, 6.5% required hospitalisation and of those hospitalised 10.8% required intensive care unit treatment. COVID-19 was likely to be the second highest cause of death over our study's duration. Conclusion Estimating the burden of a disease at national level is useful for comparing its impact with other diseases in the population and across populations. This work sets out to standardise a COVID-19 BoD methodology framework for the RoI and comparable nations in the EU.

Readability of selected governmental and popular health organization websites on Covid-19 public health information: A descriptive analysis (preprint)

Background: The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (USDHHS) recommends that health material be written at or below a sixth-grade reading level to ensure readability. The aim of this study was to examine the readability of international and national health organizations on Covid-19 information in their websites employing a previously validated tool. Methods: A purposive sample of publicly accessible governmental and popular international health organization websites was selected. The readability of the websites Covid-19 public health information was estimated using the previously validated SMOG readability formula, which determined reading level by correlating the number of polysyllabic words. Results: Of the 10 websites included in the analysis, none had Covid-19 public health information at the USDHHS recommended reading level. The material ranged in reading level at undergraduate level or above. Discussion: The findings indicate that the online Covid-19 materials need to be modified in order to reach recommended reading levels. This study can be of practical use to policy makers and public health government officials when designing, modifying, and evaluating Covid-19 materials. We recommend using simple, non-polysyllable words to ensure that Covid-19 public health information materials are written at the recommended reading levels.

Are men who smoke at higher risk for a more severe case of COVID-19 than women who smoke? A Systematic Review (preprint)

Background: The novelty of the Covid-19 pandemic is reflected in the lack of literature available for the impact of smoking on the intensity of the COVID-19 clinical manifestations. Our study tries to address this gap. Method: Six cohorts from China were analysed and a crude odds ratio was manually calculated. Results: Patients with a smoking history were approximately 2 times (95% CI= 1.036-1.883) as likely to suffer from severe clinical manifestations of COVID-19 compared to patients without a smoking history. A higher percentage of males suffer more severe symptoms of COVID-19 in comparison to females, but this could be associated with the gender specific smoking trends observed in China. Conclusion: The gender specific smoking trends could be associated with the increased severity of COVID-19 disease manifestations in the male population.