Patterns and drivers of excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in 13 Western European countries.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Important differences in excess mortality between European countries during the COVID-19 pandemic have been reported. Understanding the drivers of these differences is essential to pandemic preparedness.

Methods

We examined patterns in age- and sex-standardized cumulative excess mortality in 13 Western European countries during the first 30 months of the COVID-19 pandemic and the correlation of country-level characteristics of interest with excess mortality.

Results

In a timeline analysis, we identified notable differences in seeding events, particularly in early 2020 and when the Alpha variant emerged, likely contributing to notable differences in excess mortality between countries (lowest in Denmark during that period). These differences were more limited

SUBMITTER: Galmiche S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11626765 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature