The excess of deaths in California during the height of the coronavirus pandemic was greatest among the elderly, minorities, and those with limited education, suggests a new study.
The researchers found that between March 1 and August 22, there were 19,806 “excess deaths” compared to previous years.
Excess deaths are defined as in addition to the number of people who would have died anyway, the typical mortality rate of a population.
Of these deaths, about 50 percent belonged to people 65 years of age or older or black and Latino residents.
In addition, two-thirds of the excess deaths occurred among Californians who only finished high school / GED or dropped out of career before graduating.
The team, from the University of California, San Francisco, says the findings show that more prevention strategies needed to be implemented in minority communities to reduce the number of deaths.
Of the 19,806 “excess” deaths that occurred in California from May 1 to August 22, the majority were among black and Latino residents, as well as those without college education.
Nearly two-thirds of deaths were from those who did not finish high school or only completed high school (0 on the left and 52% were among African Americans and Hispanics (right)
For the study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the team examined mortality data from January 1, 2016 to August 22, 2020. data from the California Department of Public Health.
Deaths during the pandemic were divided into two periods: from March 1 to May 9, during the state shelter, and from May 10 to August 22, which was the reopening phase.
The researchers then calculated the difference between the seasonal number of expected deaths and the number of deaths.
Between March and August, 146,557 deaths were recorded in California, with an excess of 19,806.
That means about 126,000 people are normally expected to die during the six-month period at The Golden State.
It is unclear how many are attributed to COVID-19 and how many are other pathogens circulating during the 2019-20 flu season or other causes.
Deaths were separated into groups according to age, sex, race or ethnicity, and educational level.
They found that excess mortality was higher among California residents age 65 and older, African Americans and Latinos, and those without college degrees.
Of the total excesses of deaths, 9,623, almost 50%, were of the elderly.
In addition, 10,321 excess deaths were among black and Latino residents.
The highest rate was observed among those with limited education with an excess of 12,730 deaths (two-thirds) among those who had no university education.
Comparing deaths from March to April and from May to August, deaths among Latinos tripled, from 16 deaths per million in excess to 51 deaths per million in excess.
The researchers also found that of the total excess deaths, 9,623, nearly 50%, were from the elderly. Pictured: Hospital staff members enter an elevator with the body of a COVID-19 victim at a barrier at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, California, July 2020.
However, during most weeks of the pandemic, black residents had a higher excess per capita mortality that reached up to 100 per million.
Following the statewide foster care order, deaths among those with no high school or college education increased 3.4-fold, from 21 deaths per million in excess to 72 deaths per million.
For most weeks, this group also had a higher excess per capita mortality, with about 110 deaths per million.
“We hypothesize that this pattern reflects the risk of death from COVID-19 faced by low-wage essential workers and their social networks due to occupational exposure, crowded housing, and inadequate access to tests or treatments. “, wrote the authors.
Our results suggest that the policies adopted so far have had disparate results among population subgroups.
“Our findings underscore the importance of examining the inequitable effects of policies during the pandemic, re-examining their effects over time, and investing in strategies to mitigate excess mortality in affected communities.”