The COVID-19 Pandemic: Effects on Civil Registration of Births and Deaths and on Availability and Utility of Vital Events Data

AbouZahr, Carla; Bratschi, Martin W.; Cercone, Emily; Mangharam, Anushka; Savigny, Don de; Dincu, Irina; Forsingdal, Anette Bayer; Joos, Olga; Kamal, Montasser; Fat, Doris Ma; Mathenge, Gloria; Marinho, Fátima; Mitra, Raj Gautam; Montgomery, Jeff; Muhwava, William; Mwamba, Remy; James, Mark; Onaka, Alvin T.; Sejersen, Tanja Brøndsted; Tuoane-Nkhasi, Maletela; Sferrazza, Lynn; Setel, Philip

doi:10.2105/ajph.2021.306203

Cited by 28 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…The COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated the differences in and impact of the overall quality of the system. AbouZahr et al ( 2021 ) point out that in several countries, CRVS systems were not considered essential activities and were interrupted or disrupted for a certain period; they were also affected by budget constraints and movement restrictions.…”

Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, one cannot expect civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems to provide information on causes of death rapidly, since they must follow certain procedures that are specific to each country. In addition, in many regions of the globe, CRVS systems were disrupted during the pandemic, affecting the collection of birth and death data, especially across more vulnerable groups (AbouZahr et al, 2021 ). Even in more developed economies, with well-organized vital registration systems and a reduced lag in cause-of-death codification, variability due to different definitions of COVID-19 mortality make comparisons between countries difficult (AbouZahr et al, 2021 ; Karanikolos & McKee, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Investigating regional excess mortality during 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in selected Latin American countries

Lima

Vilela

Peralta

et al. 2021

Genus

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In this paper, we measure the effect of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic wave at the national and subnational levels in selected Latin American countries that were most affected: Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru. We used publicly available monthly mortality data to measure the impacts of the pandemic using excess mortality for each country and its regions. We compare the mortality, at national and regional levels, in 2020 to the mortality levels of recent trends and provide estimates of the impact of mortality on life expectancy at birth. Our findings indicate that from April 2020 on, mortality exceeded its usual monthly levels in multiple areas of each country. In Mexico and Peru, excess mortality was spreading through many areas by the end of the second half of 2020. To a lesser extent, we observed a similar pattern in Brazil, Chile, and Ecuador. We also found that as the pandemic progressed, excess mortality became more visible in areas with poorer socioeconomic and sanitary conditions. This excess mortality has reduced life expectancy across these countries by 2–10 years. Despite the lack of reliable information on COVID-19 mortality, excess mortality is a useful indicator for measuring the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, especially in the context of Latin American countries, where there is still a lack of good information on causes of death in their vital registration systems.

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Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating regional excess mortality during 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in selected Latin American countries

Lima

Vilela

Peralta

et al. 2021

Genus

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This is one of the first studies to show how a pandemic such as COVID-19 has affected death registration processes, and the first that we are aware of that has conducted in-depth interviews with key informants within the system. 11 12 It is important to consider that all the results found in this study are in the context of the most critical period of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Loreto region. It was precisely during April and August 2020 that Loreto became the first region of Peru to exceed its historical weekly average of deaths by more than seven times, a situation that has not since repeated.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…There have been factors that may have significantly altered information flows and mortality recording processes to the detriment of the quality of data in CRVS systems, such as measures related to compulsory social isolation, limitation of mobility, suspension of work and increased use of online platforms; evidence of such detrimental impacts has been found in several countries. 11 12 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How has COVID-19 impacted the civil registration and vital statistics system in Loreto, Perú? Evidence using process mapping and qualitative analysis

et al. 2021

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ObjectivesAccurate civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems are the primary data source to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mortality. This study assesses how the pandemic impacted CRVS system processes in Loreto region of Peru, one of the worst affected countries globally.DesignQualitative study.SettingLoreto, a remote region, which had the highest reported mortality rate in Peru during the pandemic.ParticipantsSemistructured individual interviews and documentary analysis were conducted between September 2020 and May 2021 with 28 key informants from eight institutions involved in death certification. Key informants were identified using a purposive sampling strategy commencing at the Health Directorate of Loreto, and the snowball method was used where a participant suggested another organisation or person. Information from key informants was used to compare business process maps of the CRVS system before and during the pandemic.ResultsDuring early May 2020, there were seven times more registered deaths than in earlier years, but key informants believed this underestimated mortality by 20%–30%. During the pandemic, families had to interact with more institutions during the death certification process. Several issues disrupted death certification processes, including the burden of increased deaths, the Environmental Health Directorate often removing a body without the family’s express agreement, the creation of COVID-19 cemeteries where no death certificate was needed for burial, greater participation of funeral homes that often used outdated paper forms, and closure of civil registry offices. There was increased use of the online National Death System (SINADEF) but many users had problems with access.ConclusionsThe pandemic substantially disrupted CRVS processes in Loreto, making death certification more difficult, placing greater burden on the family and leading to more participation from unregulated organisations such as funeral homes or cemeteries. These disruptions were impacted by limitations of the CRVS system’s processes before the pandemic.

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“…In recent decades, China has developed into an industrialized country with large populations in megacities, and the accompanying challenges of air pollution from a traditional agricultural society, as well as the aging of the population, could affect the mortality of asthma [ 5 ]. Timely and reliable information on cause-specific mortality is central for informing the development, implementation, and evaluation of health policy [ 6 ]. However, trends in asthma mortality in China over the past 15 years are unknown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Trends of Asthma Mortality in China from 2000 to 2019: A Joinpoint Regression and Age-Period-Cohort Analysis

Huang¹,

Liu²,

Li³

et al. 2022

Healthcare

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Background: Trends of asthma mortality vary widely all over the world, while the trends in China over the past 15 years are unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the trends of asthma mortality in China. Methods: Asthma deaths and demographic characteristics were collected from National Death Cause Datasets of Disease Surveillance System between 2004 and 2019. The data were analyzed with joinpoint regression analysis and age-period-cohort (APC) analysis for the mortality rate due to asthma in China. Results: Asthma mortality declined from 2.4 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.3–2.5) per 100,000 in 2004 to 1.6 (95% CI: 1.5–1.7) per 100,000 in 2019. Age-adjusted asthma mortality rates decreased for men and women in urban and rural areas from 2004 through 2019. The decreasing trend of the mortality rate has slowed down substantially during 2007 and 2009. After that, the decreasing trend has stabilized. The asthma mortality rates generally have a positive relationship with the age of the population when controlling for period and cohort. The period trend decreased and then increased when controlling for age and cohort. Conclusions: We should pay more attention to asthma management plans or treatment for aging people who are facing higher risk of asthma death.

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The COVID-19 Pandemic: Effects on Civil Registration of Births and Deaths and on Availability and Utility of Vital Events Data

Cited by 28 publications

References 10 publications

Investigating regional excess mortality during 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in selected Latin American countries

Investigating regional excess mortality during 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in selected Latin American countries

How has COVID-19 impacted the civil registration and vital statistics system in Loreto, Perú? Evidence using process mapping and qualitative analysis

Long-Term Trends of Asthma Mortality in China from 2000 to 2019: A Joinpoint Regression and Age-Period-Cohort Analysis

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