Provisional Mortality Data — United States, 2020

Abstract

On March 31, 2021, this report was posted as an MMWR Early Release on the MMWR website (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr).CDC's National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) collects and reports annual mortality statistics using data from U.S. death certificates. Because of the time needed to investigate certain causes of death and to process and review data, final annual mortality data for a given year are typically released 11 months after the end of the calendar year. Daily totals reported by CDC COVID-19 case surveillance are timely but can underestimate numbers of deaths because of incomplete or delayed reporting. As a result of improvements in timeliness and the pressing need for updated, quality data during the global COVID-19 pandemic, NVSS expanded provisional data releases to produce near real-time U.S. mortality data.* This report presents an overview of provisional U.S. mortality data for 2020, including the first ranking of leading causes of death. In 2020, approximately 3,358,814 deaths † occurred in the United States. From 2019 to 2020, the estimated ageadjusted death rate increased by 15.9%, from 715.2 to 828.7 deaths per 100,000 population. COVID-19 was reported as the underlying cause of death or a contributing cause of death for an estimated 377,883 (11.3%) of those deaths (91.5 deaths per 100,000). The highest age-adjusted death rates by age, race/ethnicity, and sex occurred among adults aged ≥85 years, non-Hispanic Black or African American (Black) and non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) persons, and males. COVID-19 death rates were highest among adults aged ≥85 years, AI/AN and Hispanic persons, and males. COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in 2020, after heart disease and cancer. Provisional death estimates provide an early indication of shifts in mortality trends and can guide public health policies and interventions aimed at reducing numbers of deaths that are directly or indirectly associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.CDC analyzed provisional NVSS death certificate data for deaths occurring among U.S. residents in the United States during January-December 2020. The numbers and rates of overall deaths and COVID-19 deaths were assessed by age, sex, and race/ethnicity (categorized as Hispanic, non-Hispanic White [White], Black, non-Hispanic Asian, non-Hispanic AI/AN, non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander * https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/deaths.htm † Based on death records received and processed as of March 21, 2021, for deaths occurring in the United States among U.S. residents. Data included in this analysis include >99% of deaths that occurred in 2020.

A first analysis of excess mortality in Switzerland in 2020

“…This is why we also performed comparisons in selected age groups in order to identify the ages primarily affected by changes in mortality. Ahmad et al [ 5 ], using a similar method based on standardized and age-specific mortality rates, found for the United States a 15.9% increase of the standardized mortality rate in 2020 compared to 2019, an excess mortality almost twice as large as our estimation for Switzerland. However, they also reported mortality rates that increased sharply with age and were higher in men than in women.…”

“…This is why we also performed comparisons in selected age groups in order to identify the ages primarily affected by changes in mortality. Ahmad et al [5], using a similar method based on standardized and age-specific mortality…”

“…This is also the reason why relatively few such analyses have been fully published so far worldwide for the whole year 2020. For example, Aburto et al [ 3 ] studied all-cause mortality in England and Wales, while Woolf et al [ 4 ] and Ahmad et al [ 5 ] did so in the United States, although only the latter considered the entire year 2020. Andrasfay and Goldman [ 6 ] provided an estimate of the reduction in life expectancy in the United States in 2020 based on COVID-19 mortality.…”

Trends in the distribution of COVID-19 deaths by age and race/ethnicity — United States, April 4–December 26, 2020

“…A recent report found that age-adjusted COVID-19 death rates in 2020 were highest among non-Hispanic AI/AN (187.8 deaths per 100,000), followed by Hispanic (164.3), non-Hispanic Black (151.1), Non-Hispanic NHOPI (122.3), non-Hispanic White (72.5), non-Hispanic Asian (66.7), and non-Hispanic Multiracial (31.8) populations. 9 Prior analyses have found that COVID-19 death rates increase with age within each racial/ethnic group, and that death rates are highest among those 85 years and older. 1 …”

Engineering Quick- and Long-acting Naloxone Delivery Systems for Treating Opioid Overdose

“…The total drug overdose deaths jumped to over 85,000 in the 12 months ending in August 2020, which shows a 20% increase in drug overdose deaths than in 2019. The number of drug overdose-involved deaths equals over 20% of the total number of COVID-19 deaths (377,883) in the United States in 2020 (3)(4)(5). Two main strategies have been utilized to combat opioid overdoses so far, including (i) abuse-deterrent formulations (ADFs) and (ii) antagonist-based formulations or devices (6).…”