California’s excessive deaths during the height of the coronavirus pandemic were higher among the elderly, minorities and those with limited education, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that between March 1 and August 22, there were 19,806 “ extra deaths ” compared to years before.
Excess deaths are defined as more than the number of people who would have died anyway – the typical death rate of a population.
Of those deaths, about 50 percent were among people 65 and older or black and Latino residents.
Additionally, two-thirds of the excess deaths were among Californians who had only completed high school / GED or dropped out before graduating.
The team from the University of California, San Francisco, says the findings show that more prevention strategies needed to be implemented in minority communities to reduce the number of deaths.
Of the 19,806 “ surplus ” deaths that occurred in California from May 1 to August 22, the majority were among Black and Latino residents, as well as those without a college degree
Nearly two-thirds of the deaths were among those who did not finish high school or only finished high school (left0 and 52% were among African Americans and Hispanics (right)
For the study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the team looked at mortality data from Jan. 1, 2016 to Aug. 22, 2020 data from the California Department of Public Health.
Deaths during the pandemic were split into two periods: from March 1 to May 9, during the statewide shelters, and from May 10 to August 22, the reopening phase.
Next, researchers calculated the difference between the seasonal number of expected deaths and the number of all deaths.
Between March and August, 146,557 deaths were recorded in California, with an estimated 19,806 deaths.
This means that usually about 126,000 people will die during the six month period in The Golden State.
It is not clear how many are attributed to COVID-19 and how many are from other pathogens circulating during the 2019-2020 flu season, or other causes.
Deaths were then divided into groups based on age, gender, race or ethnicity, and level of education.
They found that excess mortality was highest among California residents aged 65 and older, African-Americans and Latinos, and those without a college education.
Of the total number of additional deaths, 9,623 – nearly 50 percent – were among seniors.
In addition, there were 10,321 additional deaths among black and Latino residents.
The highest rate was seen among those with limited education with 12,730 additional deaths – two-thirds – among those who did not have a college degree.
Comparing deaths in March through April and May through August, deaths among Latinos have tripled from an additional 16 deaths per million to an additional 51 deaths per million.
Researchers also found that of the total number of additional deaths, 9,623 – nearly 50 percent – were among seniors. Pictured: Hospital staff enter an elevator with the body of a COVID-19 victim on a stretcher at St Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, California, July 2020
However, during most weeks of the pandemic, black residents had higher excess mortality per capita of up to 100 per million.
Following the statewide shelter order, the number of deaths among those without a high school or university degree has risen 3.4-fold from an additional 21 deaths per million to an additional 72 deaths per million.
For most weeks, this group also had a higher excess mortality per capita with about 110 deaths per million.
“ We hypothesize that this pattern reflects the risk of death from COVID-19 faced by low-paid, vital workers and their social networks as a result of occupational exposure, overcrowded housing, and inadequate access to tests or treatments, ” the authors wrote.
Our results suggest that the policies adopted so far have had different outcomes in the subgroups of the population.
“Our findings underscore the importance of examining the unjust effects of policies during the pandemic, re-examining the effects over time, and investing in strategies to reduce excess mortality in affected communities.”