Global burden of COVID-19 in Tunisia during the first year, February 2020 to February 2021

ABSTRACT

Introduction/ Background: The effects of COVID-19 on public health can be expressed through the burden of disease indicators. The objective of this study was to estimate the burden of COVID-19 disease in Tunisia during the first year of the outbreak to provide clear information for stakeholders and decision-makers. Methods: We conducted a national prospective study between February 2020 and February 2021. The source of data (daily cases and deaths) was based on the national surveillance system of COVID-19 notified to the National Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases. The disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to COVID-19 were measured using an incidence-based approach in according to the European Burden of Disease Network consensus model DALYs=YLDs (years of life lived with disability or morbidity indicator) +YLLs (years of life lost or mortality indicator). Results: During the study period, the DALY's number was 120644 in Tunisia. The proportion of DALYs lost by persons under 65 was 47.3% 49.8% in men and 43.0% in women. The majority (99.7%) of the COVID-19 disease burden was accounted for death (YLL). Each patient infected by SARS-Cov-2 lost 24.7 years of life women suffered greater YLD than men (14.0 vs. 10.7 years). In addition, each patient who died lost 15.5 years of life;women lost slightly greater years of life than men due to COVID-19 (15.3 vs. 14.9 years). Impact These results are important to guide decision-makers to reduce the economic burden of the impact of COVID-19 in Tunisia and prioritize healthcare resources to control the pandemic especially with the limited available resources. Conclusion: Effective prevention and control strategies which include early quarantine and testing of suspected patients, isolation and managing of confirmed cases, contact tracing, and national vaccine program should be maintained. Further studies are needed for DALYs estimations in 2021 to assess the impact of vaccine strategies and the emergence of variants.