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1.
Value Health Reg Issues ; 37: 9-17, 2023 Apr 28.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2309653

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to estimate the burden of acute COVID-19 in Córdoba, one of the most affected departments (states) in Colombia, through the estimation of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). METHODS: DALYs were estimated based on the number of cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection cases reported by official Colombian sources. A transition probability matrix among severity states was calculated using data obtained from a retrospective cohort that included 1736 COVID-19 confirmed subjects living in Córdoba. RESULTS: Córdoba had 120.23 deaths per 100 000 habitants during the study period (March 2020 to April 2021). Estimated total DALYs were 49 243 (2692 DALYs per 100 000 inhabitants), mostly attributed to fatal cases (99.7%). On average, 25 years of life were lost because of death by this infection. A relevant proportion of years of life lost because of COVID-19 (46.6%) was attributable to people < 60 years old and was greater in men. People ≥ 60 years old showed greater risk of progression to critical state than people between the age of 35 and 60 years (hazard ratio 2.5; 95% confidence interval 2.5-12.5) and younger than 35 years (9.1; 95% confidence interval 4.0-20.6). CONCLUSION: In Córdoba, premature mortality because of COVID-19 was substantially represented by people < 60 years old and was greater in males. Our data may be representative of Latin American populations with great infection spread during the first year of the pandemic and contribute to novel methodological aspects and parameter estimations that may be useful to measure COVID-19 burden in other countries of the region.

2.
Journal of Research and Health ; 13(1):1-10, 2023.
Article in English | Scopus | ID: covidwho-2262597

ABSTRACT

Background: Chronic respiratory diseases impose a significant socioeconomic burden on individuals and communities and are severely overlooked compared to other non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. This study aimed to investigate the mortality rate and years of life lost due to respiratory diseases in northern Iran. Methods: The documentary research method was used and data were collected using the census. The population included all deaths registered in the Department of Health, Golestan University of Medical Sciences in Iran during 2014-2018. Results: Between 2014 and 2018, 2462 deaths due to respiratory diseases were recorded in Golestan Province, of which 1416 people (57.5%) were men and 1046 people (42.5%) were women. The Mean±SD age of death was 62.28±26.29 years, with an Mean±SD of 62.56±25.32 years for men and 61.90±27.56 years for women. The highest number of deaths due to respiratory diseases in all the studied years was in men and women aged 80 years and above (28.7% and 31.1%, respectively). Approximately, 6864 years of life were lost due to premature death during this period, with men (3511 years, 7.2 per 1,000) contributing more than women (3353 years, 7.2 per 1,000). Conclusion: Given the rapid increase in population and given that the crucial risk factors for respiratory diseases are smoking, exposure to pollutants, and allergens, more comprehensive research seems necessary throughout Iran. In addition, this study was designed before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and due to changes that this pandemic has caused in the mortality rate, therefore, it is recommended to investigate the trend of mortality by respiratory diseases during this pandemic. © 2023, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.

3.
Health Sci Rep ; 6(3): e1154, 2023 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2249067

ABSTRACT

Background and Aims: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, about seven million people were infected with the disease, of which more than 133,000 died. Health policymakers need to know the extent and magnitude of the disease burden to decide on how much to allocate resources for disease control. The results of this investigation could be helpful in this field. Methods: We used the secondary data released by the Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences between February 2020 to October 2021 to estimate the age-sex standardized disability-adjusted life years (DALY) by the sum of the years of life lived with disability (YLD) and the years of life lost (YLL). We also applied the local and specific values of the disease utility in the calculations. Results: The total DALY was estimated at 23316.5 and 1385.5 per 100,000 populations The YLD and YLL constituted 1% and 99% of the total DALY, respectively. The DALY per 100,000 populations was highest in the men and people aged more than 65 years, but the prevalence was the highest in people under the age of 40. Conclusions: Compared to the findings of the "burden of disease study 2019," the burden of COVID-19 in Iran is ranked first and eighth among communicable and noncommunicable diseases, respectively. Although the disease affects all groups, the elderly suffer the most from it. Given the very high YLL of COVID-19, the best strategy to reduce the burden of COVID-19 in subsequent waves should be to focus on preventing infection in the elderly population and reducing mortality.

4.
J Clin Exp Hepatol ; 13(1): 88-102, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2238817

ABSTRACT

Consumption of alcohol in excess leads to substantial medical, economic, and societal burdens. Approximately 5.3% of all global deaths may be attributed to alcohol consumption. Moreover, the burden of alcohol associated liver disease (ALD) accounts for 5.1% of all disease and injury worldwide. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) affects men more than women globally with significant years of life loss to disability in low, middle and well-developed countries. Precise data on global estimates of alcohol related steatosis, alcohol related hepatitis, and alcohol related cirrhosis have been challenging to obtain. In the United States (US), alcohol related steatosis has been estimated at 4.3% based on NHANES data which has remained stable over 14 years. However, alcohol-related fibrotic liver disease has increased over the same period. In those with AUD, the prevalence of alcohol related hepatitis has been estimated at 10-35%. Globally, the prevalence of alcohol-associated cirrhosis has been estimated at 23.6 million individuals for compensated cirrhosis and 2.46 million for those with decompensated cirrhosis. The contribution of ALD to global mortality and disease burden of liver related deaths is substantial. In 2016 liver disease related to AUD contributed to 50% of the estimated liver disease deaths for age groups 15 years and above. Data from the US report high cost burdens associated with those admitted with alcohol-related liver complications. Finally, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with marked increase in alcohol consumption worldwide and will likely increase the burden of ALD.

5.
Kathmandu University Medical Journal ; 18(71):214-216, 2020.
Article in English | EMBASE | ID: covidwho-2229469
6.
Journal of Health Sciences and Surveillance System ; 10(4):446-451, 2022.
Article in English | Scopus | ID: covidwho-2205682

ABSTRACT

Background: COVID-19 emerged in China for the first time, and spread rapidly in the world and in Iran. It caused the death of many people. This study was performed to estimate the years of life lost due to COVID-19 in southwestern Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, deaths due to COVID-19 were investigated from February 20, 2020 to November 20, 2020 in southwestern Iran. Descriptive analyses included: sex ratio of deaths, mean and standard deviation of quantitative variable of age at the time of death, and specific ages-sex mortality rates. Years of life lost due to COVID-19 were estimated using standard life expectancy and lifetime table of the World Health Organization in 2015. Results: The number of deaths due to COVID-19 was 938 cases. The sex ratio of mortality (male to female) was 1.2, and the people over the age of 80 years had the highest mortality rates in both sexes. The total number of years of life lost was 13205 years, and the 60-69 age group had the highest years of life lost. Conclusion: Based on the findings of our study, health policymakers need to implement timely strategies and plans to reduce deaths especially for the possibleadvent of the next wave of COVID-19. © 2022 The authors.

7.
Environ Health Prev Med ; 27: 41, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2089300

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 pandemic is tremendously impacted by socioeconomic and health determinants worldwide. This study aimed to determine factors associated with COVID-19 fatality among member states and partner countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). METHODS: An ecological study was conducted using COVID-19 data of 48 countries for the period between 31 December 2019-31 December 2021. The outcome variables were COVID-19 case fatality rate (CFR) and years of life lost to COVID-19 (YLLs). Countries' sociodemographics and COVID-19-related data were extracted from OECD website, Our World in Data, John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and WHO. RESULTS: In the first year of the pandemic (December 2019-January 2021), highest CFR was observed in Mexico, 8.51%, followed by China, 5.17% and Bulgaria, 4.12%), and highest YLLs was observed in Mexico, 2,055 per 100,000. At regional level, highest CFR was observed in North & central America, 4.25 (3.71) %, followed by South America (2.5 (0.1) %); whereas highest YLLs was observed in South America region 1457.5 (274.8) per 100,000, followed by North & central America, 1207.3 (908.1) per 100,000. As of 31 December 2021, Mexico (7.52%) and Bulgaria (4.78%) had highest CFR; on the other hand, highest YLLs was observed in England, 26.5 per 1,000, followed by the United States, 25.9 per 1,000. At regional level, highest CFR (3.37(3.19) %) and YLLs (16.7 (13) per 1,000) were both observed in North & central America. Globally, the analysis of the 2-year cumulative data showed inverse correlation between CFR and nurse per 10,000 (R = -0.48; p < 0.05) and GDP per capita (R = -0.54; p < 0.001), whereas positive correlation was observed between YLLs and elderly population rate (R = 0.66; p < 0.05) and overweight/obese population rates (R = 0.55; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study provides insights on COVID-19 burden among OECD states and partner countries. GDP per capita, overweight/obesity and the rate of elderly population emerged as major social and health determinants of COVID-19 related burden and fatality. Findings suggest that a robust economy and interventions designed to promote healthy longevity and prevent weight gain in at-risk individuals might reduce COVID-19 burden and fatality among OECD states and partner countries.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Aged , Humans , United States , COVID-19/epidemiology , Pandemics , Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development , Overweight , Health Status
8.
Eur J Epidemiol ; 37(10): 1025-1034, 2022 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2035120

ABSTRACT

The Covid-19 pandemic has not affected the population evenly. This must be acknowledged when it comes to understanding the Covid-19 death toll and answering the question of how many life years have been lost. We use level of geriatric care to account for variation in remaining life expectancy among individuals that died during 2020. Based on a linkage of administrative registers, we estimate remaining life expectancy stratified by age, sex, and care status using an incidence-based multistate model and analyze the number of years of life lost (YLL) during 2020 in Sweden. Our results show that remaining life expectancy between individuals with and without care differs substantially. More than half of all Covid-19 deaths had a remaining life expectancy lower than 4 years. Yet, in a 1-year perspective, Covid-19 did not seem to replace other causes of death. Not considering the differences in remaining life expectancy in the affected populations overestimated YLL by 40% for women and 30% for men, or around 2 years per death. While the unadjusted YLL from Covid-19 amounted to an average of 7.5 years for women and 8.6 years for men, the corresponding YLL adjusted for care status were 5.4 and 6.6, respectively. The total number of YLL to Covid-19 in 2020 is comparable to YLL from ischemic heart disease in 2019 and 2020. Our results urge the use of subgroup specific mortality when counting the burden of Covid-19. YLL are considerably reduced when the varying susceptibility for death is considered, but even if most lifespans were cut in the last years of life, the YLL are still substantial.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Male , Female , Humans , Aged , Pandemics , Sweden/epidemiology , Life Expectancy , Longevity
9.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 119(35): e2205813119, 2022 08 30.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2001007

ABSTRACT

The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic triggered global declines in life expectancy. The United States was hit particularly hard among high-income countries. Early data from the United States showed that these losses varied greatly by race/ethnicity in 2020, with Hispanic and Black Americans suffering much larger losses in life expectancy compared with White people. We add to this research by examining trends in lifespan inequality, average years of life lost, and the contribution of specific causes of death and ages to race/ethnic life-expectancy disparities in the United States from 2010 to 2020. We find that life expectancy in 2020 fell more for Hispanic and Black males (4.5 and 3.6 y, respectively) compared with White males (1.5 y). These drops nearly eliminated the previous life-expectancy advantage for the Hispanic compared with the White population, while dramatically increasing the already large gap in life expectancy between Black and White people. While the drops in life expectancy for the Hispanic population were largely attributable to official COVID-19 deaths, Black Americans saw increases in cardiovascular diseases and "deaths of despair" over this period. In 2020, lifespan inequality increased slightly for Hispanic and White populations but decreased for Black people, reflecting the younger age pattern of COVID-19 deaths for Hispanic people. Overall, the mortality burden of the COVID-19 pandemic hit race/ethnic minorities particularly hard in the United States, underscoring the importance of the social determinants of health during a public health crisis.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Life Expectancy , Pandemics , Black or African American , COVID-19/ethnology , COVID-19/mortality , Hispanic or Latino , Humans , Life Expectancy/ethnology , Male , Race Factors , United States/epidemiology , White People
10.
China CDC Wkly ; 4(23): 494-498, 2022 Jun 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1893719

ABSTRACT

What is already known about this topic?: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused severe health consequences. Though most COVID-19 deaths occurred among very old people, their life-year loss might be very large because of their life expectancy at that age. What is added by this report?: This study quantified how many years of life were lost due to COVID-19 in 34 countries. COVID-19 caused 9 to 21 years of life lost (YLL) per deceased patient. East Asia and Oceania had substantially lower per capita YLL than North America and Europe. Among all countries included, the United States had the greatest total YLL, Peru had the largest YLL per 100,000 people, and Mexico had the largest YLL per 100,000 COVID-19 patients. What are the implications for public health practice?: The YLL quantification indicated that the vulnerable population, especially the elderly, should be protected under careful public health measures to reduce their YLL. It also implied that it might be too early to lift anti-epidemic restrictions now, since the extreme disproportionate consequences (total and per-capita YLL) in different countries underscored the scrutinization over the variation in disease control strategies to optimize future disease control and prevention.

11.
Int J Environ Res Public Health ; 19(9)2022 04 29.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1820250

ABSTRACT

In 2020 COVID-19 caused 41,442 deaths in Poland. We aimed to estimate the burden of COVID-19 using years of potential life lost (YPLL) and quality-adjusted years of life lost (QALYL). YPLL were calculated by multiplying the number of deaths due to COVID-19 in the analyzed age/sex group by the residual life expectancy for that group. Standard and country-specific (local) life tables were used to calculate SPYLL and LPYLL, respectively. QALYL were calculated adjusting LPYLL due to COVID-19 death by age/sex specific utility values. Deaths from COVID-19 in Poland in 2020 caused loss of 630,027 SPYLL, 436,361 LPYLL, and 270,572 QALYL. The loss was greater among men and rose with age reaching the maximum among men aged 65-69 and among women aged 70-74. Burden of COVID-19 in terms of YPLL is proportionate to external-cause deaths and was higher than the burden of disease in the respiratory system. Differential effects by sex and age indicate important heterogeneities in the mortality effects of COVID-19 and justifies policies based not only on age, but also on sex. Comparison with YPLL due to other diseases showed that mortality from COVID-19 represents a substantial burden on both society and on individuals in Poland.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Female , Humans , Life Expectancy , Life Tables , Male , Morbidity , Mortality , Poland/epidemiology
12.
Wellcome Open Res ; 5: 137, 2020.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1742962

ABSTRACT

In their recent analysis, Hanlon et al. set out to estimate the years of life lost (YLL) in people who have died with COVID-19 by following and expanding on the WHO standard approach. We welcome this research as an attempt to draw a more accurate picture of the mortality burden of this disease which has been involved in the deaths of more than 300,000 people worldwide as of May 2020. However, we argue that obtained YLL estimates (13 years for men and 11 years for women) are interpreted in a misleading way. Even with the presented efforts to control for the role of multimorbidity in COVID-19 deaths, these estimates cannot be interpreted to imply "how long someone who died from COVID-19 might otherwise have been expected to live". By example we analyze the underlying problem of data selection bias which, in the context of COVID-19, renders such an interpretation of YLL estimates impossible, and outline potential approaches to control for the problem.

13.
Eur J Epidemiol ; 37(2): 217-219, 2022 02.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1739366
14.
Value Health ; 25(5): 731-735, 2022 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1665240

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic has increased mortality worldwide considerably in 2020. Nevertheless, it is unknown how the increase in mortality translates into a loss in quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), which is a function of age and the health condition of the deceased patient at time of death. We estimate the QALYs lost in The Netherlands as a result of deaths because of COVID-19 in 2020. METHODS: As a starting point, we use estimates of underlying diseases and the number of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes as a proxy for underlying health status. In a next step, these are combined with estimates of excess mortality rates and quality of life for different groups to calculate QALYs lost. We compare the results with an alternative scenario, in which COVID-19 deaths occurred randomly across the population regardless of underlying conditions. For this alternative scenario, we use population mortality and average quality of life by age and sex. RESULTS: Accounting for underlying health status, we estimate that QALYs lost because of COVID-19 mortality are on average 3.9 per death for men and 3.5 for women. This is approximately 3.5 QALYs less than when not taking selective mortality into account. Given 16 308 excess deaths, this translates into 61 032 QALYs lost because of COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that QALYs lost because of COVID-19 mortality are still substantial, even if mortality is strongly concentrated in people with poor health.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Female , Humans , Male , Netherlands/epidemiology , Pandemics , Quality of Life , Quality-Adjusted Life Years
15.
Int J Epidemiol ; 51(2): 418-428, 2022 05 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1592978

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Preliminary studies have suggested a link between socio-economic characteristics and COVID-19 mortality. Such studies have been carried out on particular geographies within the USA or selective data that do not represent the complete experience for 2020. METHODS: We estimated COVID-19 mortality rates, number of years of life lost to SARS-CoV-2 and reduction in life expectancy during each of the three pandemic waves in 2020 for 3144 US counties grouped into five socio-economic status categories, using daily death data from the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine and weekly mortality age structure from the Centers for Disease Control. RESULTS: During March-May 2020, COVID-19 mortality was highest in the most socio-economically advantaged quintile of counties and lowest in the two most-disadvantaged quintiles. The pattern reversed during June-August and widened by September-December, such that COVID-19 mortality rates were 2.58 times higher in the bottom than in the top quintile of counties. Differences in the number of years of life lost followed a similar pattern, ultimately resulting in 1.002 (1.000, 1.004) million years in the middle quintile to 1.381 (1.378, 1.384) million years of life lost in the first (most-disadvantaged) quintile during the whole year. CONCLUSIONS: Diverging trajectories of COVID-19 mortality among the poor and affluent counties indicated a progressively higher rate of loss of life among socio-economically disadvantaged communities. Accounting for socio-economic disparities when allocating resources to control the spread of the infection and to reinforce local public health infrastructure would reduce inequities in the mortality burden of the disease.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Health Status Disparities , Humans , Mortality , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2 , Social Class , United States/epidemiology
16.
Public Health ; 203: 91-96, 2022 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1561429

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study is to calculate the years of life lost (YLL) and years of potential life lost (YPLL) due to COVID-19, according to age groups in Turkey in the first year of the pandemic and the cost of this burden. STUDY DESIGN: This is an observational study with quantitative analyses. METHODS: YLL due to premature deaths was calculated for men and women by interpolating the number of deaths and the expected life expectancy. YPLL was calculated according to the age 65 years. Productivity loss is an estimation of the cost of time lost at work-related activities-in a scenario analysis-using predetermined wage rates with the human capital theory. RESULTS: Men lost 205,177 (67.57%) years of life, whereas women lost 125,330 (32.43%) years of life. The YLL average age in men was 63.66 ± 14.66 years, and the YLL average age in women was 66.07 ± 15.46 years. The average YLL age in men was younger than in women (P < 0.001). Men lost 65,180 (70.16%) YPLL, whereas women lost 27,723 (29.84%) YPLL. The average YPLL age in women was younger than in men (P < 0.001). During one year of the pandemic, premature death cost Turkey 227,396,694 USD, the cost for one premature death was 14,187 USD, and the cost of any year of life lost was 1261 USD. CONCLUSION: YLL and YPLLs are very closely associated with COVID-19 deaths in the country. The economic dimensions of the pandemic with human losses are quite high.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Efficiency , Female , Humans , Life Expectancy , Male , Middle Aged , SARS-CoV-2 , Turkey/epidemiology
17.
Vaccine ; 38(45): 7007-7014, 2020 10 21.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1452423

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Data on influenza economic burden in risk groups for severe influenza are important to guide targeted influenza immunization, especially in resource-limited settings. However, this information is limited in low- and middle-income countries. METHODS: We estimated the cost (from a health system and societal perspective) and years of life lost (YLL) for influenza-associated illness in South Africa during 2013-2015 among (i) children aged 6-59 months, (ii) individuals aged 5-64 years with HIV, pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and selected underlying medical conditions (UMC), separately, (iii) pregnant women and (iv) individuals aged ≥65 years, using publicly available data and data collected through laboratory-confirmed influenza surveillance and costing studies. All costs were expressed in 2015 prices using the South Africa all-items Consumer Price Index. RESULTS: During 2013-2015, the mean annual cost of influenza-associated illness among the selected risk groups accounted for 52.1% ($140.9/$270.5 million) of the total influenza-associated illness cost (for the entire population of South Africa), 45.2% ($52.2/$115.5 million) of non-medically attended illness costs, 43.3% ($46.7/$107.9 million) of medically-attended mild illness costs and 89.3% ($42.0/$47.1 million) of medically-attended severe illness costs. The YLL among the selected risk groups accounted for 86.0% (262,069 /304,867 years) of the total YLL due to influenza-associated death. CONCLUSION: In South Africa, individuals in risk groups for severe influenza accounted for approximately half of the total influenza-associated illness cost but most of the cost of influenza-associated medically attended severe illness and YLL. This study provides the foundation for future studies on the cost-effectiveness of influenza immunization among risk groups.


Subject(s)
Cost of Illness , Influenza, Human , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Child , Child, Preschool , Cost-Benefit Analysis , Female , Humans , Influenza, Human/epidemiology , Influenza, Human/prevention & control , Middle Aged , Pregnancy , South Africa/epidemiology , Vaccination , Young Adult
18.
Eur J Epidemiol ; 36(6): 589-597, 2021 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1265534

ABSTRACT

The burden of an epidemic is often characterized by death counts, but this can be misleading as it fails to acknowledge the age of the deceased patients. Years of life lost is therefore widely used as a more relevant metric, however, such calculations in the context of COVID-19 are all biased upwards: patients dying from COVID-19 are typically multimorbid, having far worse life expectation than the general population. These questions are quantitatively investigated using a unique Hungarian dataset that contains individual patient level data on comorbidities for all COVID-19 deaths in the country. To account for the comorbidities of the patients, a parametric survival model using 11 important long-term conditions was used to estimate a more realistic years of life lost. As of 12 May, 2021, Hungary reported a total of 27,837 deaths from COVID-19 in patients above 50 years of age. The usual calculation indicates 10.5 years of life lost for each death, which decreases to 9.2 years per death after adjusting for 11 comorbidities. The expected number of years lost implied by the life table, reflecting the mortality of a developed country just before the pandemic is 11.1 years. The years of life lost due to COVID-19 in Hungary is therefore 12% or 1.3 years per death lower when accounting for the comorbidities and is below its expected value, but how this should be interpreted is still a matter of debate. Further research is warranted on how to optimally integrate this information into epidemiologic risk assessments during a pandemic.


Subject(s)
COVID-19/mortality , Life Expectancy , Life Tables , Multimorbidity , Age Distribution , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Hungary , Male , Middle Aged , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2 , Sex Distribution
19.
Environ Res ; 200: 111457, 2021 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1258365

ABSTRACT

Although strict lockdown measurements implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic have dramatically reduced the anthropogenic-based emissions, changes in air quality and its health impacts remain unclear in China. We comprehensively described air pollution during and after the lockdown periods in 2020 compared with 2018-2019, and estimated the mortality burden indicated by the number of deaths and years of life lost (YLL) related to the air pollution changes. The mean air quality index (AQI), PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2 and CO concentrations during the lockdown across China declined by 18.2 (21.2%), 27.0 µg/m3 (28.9%), 10.5 µg/m3 (18.3%), 8.4 µg/m3 (44.2%), 13.1 µg/m3 (38.8%), and 0.3 mg/m3 (27.3%) respectively, when compared to the same periods during 2018-2019. We observed an increase in O3 concentration during the lockdown by 5.5 µg/m3 (10.4%), and a slight decrease after the lockdown by 3.4 µg/m3 (4.4%). As a result, there were 51.3 (95%CI: 32.2, 70.1) thousand fewer premature deaths (16.2 thousand during and 35.1 thousand after the lockdown), and 1066.8 (95%CI: 668.7, 1456.8) thousand fewer YLLs (343.3 thousand during and 723.5 thousand after the lockdown) than these in 2018-2019. Our findings suggest that the COVID-19 lockdown has caused substantial decreases in air pollutants except for O3, and that substantial human health benefits can be achieved when strict control measures for air pollution are taken to reduce emissions from vehicles and industries. Stricter tailored policy solutions of air pollution are urgently needed in China and other countries, especially in well-developed industrial regions, such as upgrading industry structure and promoting green transportation.


Subject(s)
Air Pollutants , Air Pollution , COVID-19 , Air Pollutants/analysis , Air Pollution/analysis , China/epidemiology , Communicable Disease Control , Environmental Monitoring , Humans , Pandemics , Particulate Matter/analysis , Particulate Matter/toxicity , SARS-CoV-2
20.
BMC Public Health ; 21(1): 1054, 2021 06 02.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1255925

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been measured in different metrics, mostly by counting deaths and its impact on health services. Few studies have attempted to calculate years of life lost (YLL) to COVID-19 and compare it with YLL due to other causes in different countries. METHODS: We calculated YLL to COVID-19 from week10 to week52 in 2020 for eight European countries by methods defined by the WHO. We calculated excess YLL by subtracting the average YLL from 2017 to 2019 to the YLL in 2020. Our analysis compared YLL to COVID-19 and the excess YLL of non-COVID-19 causes across countries in Europe. RESULTS: Portugal registered 394,573 cases and 6619 deaths due to COVID-19, accounting for 25,395 YLL in just 10 months. COVID-19 was responsible for 6.7% of all deaths but accounted for only 4.2% of all YLL. We estimate that Portugal experienced an excess of 35,510 YLL (+ 6.2%), of which 72% would have been due to COVID-19 and 28% due to non-COVID-19 causes. Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands experienced excess YLL to non-COVID-19 causes. We also estimated that Portugal experienced an excess of 10,115 YLL due to cancer (3805), cardiovascular diseases (786) and diseases of the respiratory system (525). CONCLUSION: COVID-19 has had a major impact on mortality rates in Portugal, as well as in other European countries. The relative impact of COVID-19 on the number of deaths has been greater than on the number of YLL, because COVID-19 deaths occur mostly in advanced ages.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Pandemics , Europe/epidemiology , Humans , Netherlands , Portugal/epidemiology , SARS-CoV-2 , Spain
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