Years of Life Lost Associated with COVID-19 Deaths in the United States During the First Year of the Pandemic

BackgroundYears of Life Lost (YLL) measure the shortfall in life expectancy due to a medical condition and have been used in multiple contexts. Previously it was estimated that there were 1.2 million YLLs associated with COVID-19 deaths in the United States through July 11, 2020. The aim of this study is to update YLL estimates for the first full year of the pandemic. MethodsWe employed data regarding COVID-19 deaths in the United States through January 31, 2021 by jurisdiction, gender, and age group. We used actuarial life expectancy tables by gender and age to estimate YLLs. ResultsWe estimated roughly 3.9 million YLLs due to COVID-19 deaths, which corresponds to roughly 9.2 YLLs per death. We observed a large range across states in YLLs per 10,000 capita, with New York City at 298 and Vermont at 12. Nationally, males had a higher number of YLLs per death than females (9.5 versus 8.8), but there was significant variation in gender differences across states. ConclusionsOur estimates provide further insight into the mortality effects of COVID-19. The observed differences across states and genders demonstrate the need for disaggregated analyses of the pandemics effects.

Economic Losses Associated with COVID-19 Deaths in the United States

In addition to the overwhelming health effects of COVID-19, the disease has inflicted unprecedented economic damage. Vast resources have been directed at COVID-19 testing and health care while economic activity has been substantially curtailed due to disruptions resulting from individual choices and government policies. This study estimates the economic loss associated with COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. from February 1, 2020 through July 11, 2020. We use estimates of years of life lost that are based on the age and gender of decedents. Using a value of life year estimate of $66,759, we calculate economic losses of roughly $66 billion. The losses are concentrated in New York and New Jersey, which account for 17.5% of the total losses. Our analysis of per capita losses by state indicates that the highest values are located in the northeastern region of the country, while the values in the western states are relatively low. While economic losses associate with COVID-19 deaths is just one aspect of the pandemic, our estimates can provide context to the value of prevention and mitigation efforts. JEL codesI12, I18, J17

Incidence and clinical correlates of anger attacks in Chinese patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

OBJECTIVE@#Anger attacks have been observed in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), often triggered by obsessional triggers. However, few studies have reported the clinical characteristics and correlates of anger attacks among Chinese patients with OCD.@*METHODS@#A total of 90 adults with a primary diagnosis of OCD, ranging from 15 to 78 years old, participated in the study. Participants were administered the Rage Outbursts and Anger Rating Scale (ROARS), Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale-Second Edition, and Brown Assessment of Beliefs Scale by a trained clinician. Patients completed the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21.@*RESULTS@#A total of 31.3% of participants reported anger outbursts in the past week, and ROARS scores had no significant correlation with age, duration of illness, OCD severity, depression, or stress. However, ROARS scores were negatively related to education level, and positively related to obsessing symptoms and anxiety.@*CONCLUSIONS@#These data suggest that anger attacks are relatively common in Chinese patients with OCD. The severity of anger attacks is related to educational level, obsessing symptoms, and anxiety, which may be a latent variable reflecting executive functioning and emotion regulation skills.