ABSTRACT
Objective: To analyze quantitatively and comparatively the deaths by COVID-19 of the four largest municipalities in the North of Rio de Janeiro and Baixada Litoranea of Rio de Janeiro, within the national context. Methods: We used data from the Civil Registry and demographic information to elaborate a general picture of the pandemic up to the 31st epidemiological week in several aspects: evolution, scope, age, sex, race and impact on other causes of death. Results: We characterized the evolution of the pandemic. We found an exponential dependence on the mortality rate by age and a higher lethality in the male population. We determined that COVID-19 represents an important fraction of the causes of death in 2020, being associated with a significant excess of deaths in relation to 2019 and also with the change in mortality patterns due to other causes. Conclusion: Mortality is an effective and powerful indicator for understanding the infection and its pandemic, and it must be taken into account during the construction of public policies to deal with it.
