Death trends for 2010 - 2022 for members of a large private medical scheme in South Africa.

BACKGROUND: In the absence of more recent national data on underlying causes of death in South Africa (SA), we examined mortality trends from 2010 to 2022 among members of a large private medical scheme. This analysis sheds light on the health profile of this specific demographic. OBJECTIVE: To investigate trends in Discovery Health Medical Scheme (DHMS) members' death rates and underlying cause of death patterns between 2010 and 2022. METHODS: All-cause deaths were compared across years accounting for demographic changes, by analysing age- and sex-standardised rates using 2019 age and sex population weightings. We used underlying cause-of-death data from death notifications. RESULTS: The 2019 age- and sex-standardised death rate was lower than the 2010 rate by 10%, with a steady decline experienced between 2010 and 2019. We have seen reduced age- and sex-standardised death rates from HIV/AIDS during this period, and despite the high prevalence, reduced age- and sex-standardised death rates from non-communicable diseases. Malignant neoplasms and cardiovascular disease have been and remained the two leading causes of death for Discovery Health Medical Scheme (DHMS) clients between 2012 and 2022. Age- and sex- standardised death rates, however, reached historic high levels during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic in SA. In 2020, overall age- and sex-standardised death rates for DHMS members increased to 542 deaths per 100 000 life years, which was higher than pre-pandemic levels. Age- and sex-standardised death rates went on to reach their highest level in the history of the scheme in 2021, at 767 deaths per 100 000 life years. Age- and sex-standardised death rates, however, had returned to near 2019 (pre-pandemic) levels by 2022, at 477 deaths per 100 000 life years. Males experienced a higher increase in age-standardised death rates during 2020 and remained at an increased risk of death in 2022 compared with pre-pandemic levels. When COVID-19 -related deaths are excluded, the age-standardised rates for both females and males in 2022 was lower than observed in the pre-pandemic years. While the low mortality experience could be related to competing causes and mortality displacement, further analysis over a longer period is needed to confirm this. CONCLUSION: DHMS experienced the highest level of age- and sex-standardised death rates during 2020 and 2021, the initial 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of this increase was explained by COVID-19 deaths.

Unnatural deaths, alcohol bans and curfews: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment during COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) restrictions, particularly relating to the sale of alcohol and hours of curfew, have had a marked effect on the temporal pattern of unnatural deaths in South Africa. Methods. Death data were collected over 68 weeks from January 2020 to April 2021, together with information on the nature of restrictions (if any) on the sale of alcohol, and hours of curfew. Data were analysed using a simple ordinary least square (OLS) regression model to estimate the relative contribution of restrictions on the sale of alcohol and hours of curfew to the pattern of excess unnatural deaths. Results. The complete restriction on the sale of alcohol resulted in a statistically significant reduction in unnatural deaths regardless of the length of curfew. To the contrary, periods where no or limited restrictions on alcohol were in force had no significant effect, or resulted in significantly increased unnatural deaths. Conclusions. The present study highlights an association between alcohol availability and the number of unnatural deaths and demonstrates the extent to which those deaths might be averted by disrupting the alcohol supply. While this is not a long-term solution to addressing alcohol-related harm, it further raises the importance of implementing evidence-based alcohol control measures.

Tracking mortality in near to real time provides essential information about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa in 2020.

BACKGROUND: Producing timely and accurate estimates of the impact of COVID-19 on mortality is challenging for most countries, but impossible for South Africa (SA) from cause-of-death statistics. Objectives. To quantify the excess deaths and likely magnitude of COVID-19 in SA in 2020 and draw conclusions on monitoring the epidemic in 2021. Methods. Basic details of deaths registered on the National Population Register by the Department of Home Affairs (DoHA) are provided to the South African Medical Research Council weekly. Adjustments are made to the numbers of weekly deaths to account for non-registration on the population register, as well as late registration of death with the DoHA. The weekly number of deaths is compared with the number predicted based on the Holt-Winters time-series analysis of past deaths for provinces and metropolitan areas. Excess deaths were calculated for all-causes deaths and natural deaths, using the predicted deaths as a baseline. In addition, an adjustment was made to the baseline for natural deaths to account for the drop in natural deaths due to lockdown. Results. We estimated that just over 550 000 deaths occurred among persons aged ≥1 year during 2020, 13% higher than the 485 000 predicted before the pandemic. A pronounced increase in weekly deaths from natural causes peaked in the middle of July across all ages except <20 years, and across all provinces with slightly different timing. During December, it became clear that SA was experiencing a second wave of COVID-19 that would exceed the death toll of the first wave. In 2020, there were 70 000 - 76 000 excess deaths from natural causes, depending on the base. Using the adjusted base, the excess death rate from natural causes was 122 per 100 000 population, with a male-to-female ratio of 0.78. Deaths from unnatural causes halved for both males and females during the stringent lockdown level 5. The numbers reverted towards the predicted number with some fluctuations as lockdown restrictions varied. Just under 5 000 unnatural deaths were averted. Conclusions. Tracking the weekly numbers of deaths in near to real time has provided important information about the spatiotemporal impact of the pandemic and highlights that the ~28 000 reported COVID-19 deaths during 2020 substantially understate the death toll from COVID-19. There is an urgent need to re-engineer the system of collecting and processing cause-of-death information so that it can be accessed in a timely way to inform public health actions.