Excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021) in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

Excess mortality is defined as an increase in all-cause mortality over expected mortality (historical baseline for previous years). In the context of COVID-19, excess mortality may reflect the overall impact of the pandemic on mortality, including not only the number of confirmed deaths from COVID-19, but also deaths from COVID-19 when they were not correctly diagnosed and reported, and deaths from other diseases due to pandemic-related causes. The purpose of the study: to assess the indicators of excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021) in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). For the analysis, data from the Federal State Statistics Service for 2015-2022 were used. For 2 years of the spread of a new coronavirus infection in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), 19556 people died. 7.8% of deaths in 2020 and 21.5% in 2021 were related to COVID-19. The number of all deaths was 22% and 44% respectively higher than the expected number of deaths. The proportion of excess deaths in 2020 was 19% of all deaths, in 2021 - 31%. Of the excess deaths, 42% and 69%, respectively, were related to COVID-19. The excess mortality rate reached 333 per 100,000 population in 2021. The high correlation coefficients (0.94-0.95) between COVID-19-related deaths and additional deaths suggest that excess deaths during the period 2020-2021 will largely be due to the spread of COVID-19. The decline in mortality underreporting in 2021 against the background of an increase in excess mortality reflects improved diagnosis and correct identification of the causes of death. Research into the causes of excess mortality is needed to assess the impact of the pandemic and other factors on various aspects of mortality in the population.