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Years of life lost to COVID-19 in 49 countries: A gender- and life cycle-based analysis of the first two years of the pandemic

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  • Oscar Espinosa
  • Jeferson Ramos
  • Maylen Liseth Rojas-Botero
  • Julián Alfredo Fernández-Niño

Abstract

Specific mortality rates have been widely used to monitor the main impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, a more meaningful measure is the Years of Life Lost (YLL) due to the disease, considering it takes into account the premature nature of each death. We estimated the YLL due to COVID-19 between January 2020 and December 2021 in 49 countries for which information was available, developing an analytical method that mathematically refines that proposed by the World Health Organization. We then calculated YLL rates overall, as well as by sex and life cycle. Additionally, we estimated the national cost-effective budgets required to manage COVID-19 from a health system perspective. During the two years of analysis, we estimated that 85.6 million years of life were lost due to COVID-19 in the 49 countries studied. However, due to a lack of data, we were unable to analyze the burden of COVID-19 in about 75% of the countries in the world. We found no difference in the magnitude of YLL rates by gender but did find differences according to life cycle, with older adults contributing the greatest burden of YLL. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a significant burden of disease, which has varied between countries. However, due to the lack of quality and disaggregated data, it has been difficult to monitor and compare the pandemic internationally. Therefore, it is imperative to strengthen health information systems in order to prepare for future pandemics as well as to evaluate their impacts.

Suggested Citation

  • Oscar Espinosa & Jeferson Ramos & Maylen Liseth Rojas-Botero & Julián Alfredo Fernández-Niño, 2023. "Years of life lost to COVID-19 in 49 countries: A gender- and life cycle-based analysis of the first two years of the pandemic," PLOS Global Public Health, Public Library of Science, vol. 3(9), pages 1-14, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pgph00:0002172
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002172
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bram Roudijk & A. Rogier T. Donders & Peep F. M. Stalmeier, 2019. "Cultural Values: Can They Explain Differences in Health Utilities between Countries?," Medical Decision Making, , vol. 39(5), pages 605-616, July.
    2. Evangelos Kontopantelis & Mamas A Mamas & Roger T Webb & Ana Castro & Martin K Rutter & Chris P Gale & Darren M Ashcroft & Matthias Pierce & Kathryn M Abel & Gareth Price & Corinne Faivre-Finn & Harri, 2022. "Excess years of life lost to COVID-19 and other causes of death by sex, neighbourhood deprivation, and region in England and Wales during 2020: A registry-based study," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(2), pages 1-20, February.
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