According to the Austrian Academy of Health, more people over the age of 65 died in connection with Corona in Europe in 2021 compared to 2020, while the stringency of measures against the infection has increased.
In Austria, mortality in this age group was slightly higher. In both years, overall excess mortality was observed in all countries, peaking in the first Corona year. Compared to pre-Covid (2016-19), it was still 6.8% in Germany.
Excess mortality, especially among those who do not suffer from Covid
“We were able to show that the corona pandemic, which has existed for two years, poses a health risk to non-Covid-19 patients,” say study authors Maria M. Hofmarcher, Johannes Wüger and Ludwig Kaspar. “Vaccination significantly decreased the level of excess mortality in all countries. However, in some countries, including Austria, it was still clearly positive, both for people who were not sick with Covid-19 and for patients with Covid-19 -patients, albeit at a noticeably lower level than in 2020.”
“Although vaccination is a ‘game changer’ in the two-year pandemic, some countries – including Austria – face the great challenge of improving the management of the pandemic, optimizing the set of measures and, at the same time, significantly expanding protection vaccine,” the team said. of experts. “Keyword: Winter is coming.”
Some of the key statements from the aha study: Austria also recorded excess mortality in 2021 – especially among people who were not sick with Covid-19. The position has deteriorated in an international comparison: last year, the average level of excess mortality was significantly lower and no longer recognizable in some countries. The Austrian Academy of Health analyzed that there was still excess mortality in Austria, both for Covid-19 and for all other deaths.
Austria ahead of Germany in excess mortality
Mortality from Covid-19 in the elderly population increased slightly in 2021 compared to 2020, despite stricter measures. An increase can also be seen on average across all EU countries apart from the UK, but the standards are very different. In Austria, immunization by vaccination is “below average”. Statistically, high vaccine coverage is shown to relieve intensive care units and reduce non-Covid-19 mortality.
With a single 10% increase in intensive care utilization by Covid patients, an average of 0.9% more non-Covid deaths can be expected compared to mortality between 2016 and 2019. While in Austria in 2020 excess mortality without Covid was in seventh place among the countries considered, it rose to fourth place in 2021, after Italy and ahead of Germany, France and Spain.
Mortality has doubled in Germany
In Germany, mortality from the age of 65 has doubled from a very low level in 2020 with stricter measures than in Austria. France managed to reduce mortality somewhat in 2021 with moderately stricter measures, and a notable decrease was achieved in Italy with a strict regime. The UK saw a slight increase in over-65 mortality combined with moderately stricter measures. The death rate from Covid-19 in the population over 65 years of age in the Czech Republic and Poland has more than doubled compared to 2020. Among other things, this is likely due to lower rates of immunization through vaccinations in these countries. countries, write the experts.
Despite higher vaccination rates in Germany and Austria, proportionately more people aged 65 years died by the end of 2021 than in 2020. In both countries, the majority of Covid-19 deaths were recorded in nursing homes. of seniors and seniors.