Excess Mortality Persisted in Western World From 2020 Through 2022
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, June 4, 2024 -- Excess mortality persisted in 2020 through 2022 in the Western world, according to a study published online June 3 in BMJ Public Health.
Saskia Mostert, M.D., from Amsterdam UMC, and colleagues explored excess mortality in the Western world from 2020 to 2022 using all-cause mortality reports abstracted from the "Our World in Data" database. Historical death data were used from 2015 to 2019, accounting for seasonal variation and year-to-year trends.
The researchers found that for 47 countries of the Western world, the total number of excess deaths was 3,098,456 from Jan. 1, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2022. Excess mortality was documented in 41, 42, and 43 countries in 2020, 2021, and 2022 (87, 89, and 91 percent, respectively). Records showed 1,033,122 excess deaths in 2020, the year of COVID-19 pandemic onset and implementation of containment measures. The highest number of deaths was reported in 2021 (1,256,942 excess deaths), the year in which both containment measures and COVID-19 vaccines were used to address virus spread and infection. When most COVID-19 containment measures were lifted and COVID-19 vaccines were continued in 2022, preliminary data showed 808,392 excess deaths.
"Excess mortality has remained high in the Western World for three consecutive years, despite the implementation of COVID-19 containment measures and COVID-19 vaccines," the authors write. "This is unprecedented and raises serious concerns."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted June 2024
Read this next
Declining Childhood Vaccination May Increase Risk for Vaccine-Preventable Infections
WEDNESDAY, April 30, 2025 -- Declining childhood vaccination rates may increase outbreaks of eliminated vaccine-preventable infections within the United States, leading to a...
AACR: Incidence-Based Mortality Dropping for Young Women With Breast Cancer
TUESDAY, April 29, 2025 -- Incidence-based mortality (IBM) declined from 2010 to 2020 among women aged 20 to 49 years diagnosed with breast cancer, according to a study presented...
AACR: Nonsurgical Treatment Feasible for Mismatch Repair-Deficient Tumors
TUESDAY, April 29, 2025 -- A neoadjuvant programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) blockade enables nonoperative management among patients with early-stage mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR)...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.