Changes in non-COVID mortality during the first year of the pandemic in Argentina, 2020

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: During 2020, the first year of the pandemic (YP), Argentina focused the actions on the new disease, leaving aside the monitoring of diseases other than COVID-19 (non-COV). The objective of this work was to compare mortality from non-COV causes during the YP with respect to the 5 years of the pre-pandemic period (PPP). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using secondary data sources and national population-based data. The basic cause of death was disaggregated at the chapter and group level according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision. Crude (CMR) and adjusted mortality rates (AMR) were estimated, comparing with t-test and considering significant a p-value <0.05. Excess mortality (EM) was calculated as the difference between the number of non-COV deaths in the YP and the upper or lower 95% confidence interval (CI95%) of the mean number of PPP cases. RESULTS: The CMR decreased by 9.1% and EM was -4.5%. Except for diabetes mellitus and unspecified respiratory diseases, the AMR showed a significant reduction during the YP. The greatest variation of CMR was due to acute lower respiratory infections in people under 19 years of age and due to transport accidents in adults aged 20 to 59 years and adults aged 60 or older (reduction of 46.3% and 48.8%, respectively). DISCUSSION: During the YP there was a decrease in mortality due to non-COV causes, especially those related to acute respiratory infections and transport accidents.