Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • ESG: THE NEW IMPERATIVE
Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • COVID-19
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Transformation
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Digital Health
  • Insights
    • ACA 10 Years After
    • Best Practices
    • Special Reports
    • Innovations
  • Data/Lists
    • Rankings/Lists
    • Interactive Databases
    • Data Points
  • Op-Ed
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
  • Awards
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top 25 Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
    • Women in Healthcare
    • - Luminaries
    • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
    • - Leaders to Watch
    • - Luminaries
    • - Top 25 Women Leaders
    • - Women to Watch
  • Events
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Custom Media Event: ESG Summit
    • Transformation Summit
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Supply Chain Revenue Cycle
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - Strategic Marketing
    • - Virtual Health
  • Listen
    • Podcast - Next Up
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
  • MORE +
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Safety & Quality
October 22, 2020 03:55 PM

COVID-19 will likely worsen mortality gap between U.S. and peer nations

Maria Castellucci
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Modern Healthcare Illustration / Getty Images

    Deaths from COVID-19 will likely be the third leading causing of death this year in the U.S. and will contribute to a worse mortality gap between the U.S. and peer countries, according to a new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

    More Americans have died from COVID-19 in 2020 than died in accidents in 2017, the third leading cause of death that year. By comparison, Belgium is the only one of 12 similarly wealthy nations that's seeing COVID-19 rank as a top three cause of death so far this year, according to the analysis. Additionally, the U.S.'s 2020 excess death rate, which illustrates death that exceeded the expected number of deaths, was 90.1 per 100,000 according to the most recent data, which is higher than all other peer countries.

    The current excess death rate will likely widen the mortality rate gap the U.S. already has compared to other countries, said Cynthia Cox, an author of the analysis and vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

    The overall age-adjusted mortality rate of the U.S. in 2017 was 840.2 per 100,000, which is higher than the 693.4 average mortality rate of peer countries.

    "We already know that the U.S. had a higher overall death rate prior to the pandemic and now that we are having excess mortality and we know that COVID-19 is driving most of the excess death, it becomes clear that the pandemic is likely going to make the gap in mortality rates between the U.S. and peer countries even wider than it already was," Cox said.

    Other countries are on track to join Belgium and the U.S. in seeing COVID-19 rank third in deaths by the end of this year, the analysis also found.

    COVID-19 is currently the fourth leading cause of death in Sweden, the United Kingdom and France. Sweden is close to seeing its death toll from COVID-19 rise enough to be the third highest cause of death, according to the analysis.

    Sweden and the United Kingdom have responded similarly as the U.S. to COVID-19 so that's likely why both countries are seeing higher death tolls compared to peer nations, Cox said.

    The analysis doesn't account for other conditions and causes of death this year. For instance, mental health challenges due to the pandemic may have led to rises in suicide or overdoses. At the same time, there are anecdotes from physicians that delaying care during the pandemic has led to unnecessary deaths from heart attacks and strokes, for example, Cox said.

    Kaiser plans to do another similar analysis closer to the end of the year although Cox said she doesn't expect death from COVID-19 to surpass deaths from heart disease and cancer in the U.S. Heart disease was the leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2017, accounting for 712,715 lives, and cancer trailed behind at 599,136 lives.

    "(COVID) is pretty solidly number three," Cox said.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    Pandemic-weary Americans plan for summer despite COVID surge
    Pandemic-weary Americans plan for summer despite COVID surge
    kid vaccine
    What's next for COVID-19 vaccines for youngest U.S. children?
    Sponsored Content
    COVID-19 Coverage Newsletter: Sign up today to receive a comprehensive daily newsletter designed for healthcare leaders looking for the most accurate and comprehensive resources related to coronavirus.
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • COVID-19
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Digital Health
    • Insights
      • ACA 10 Years After
      • Best Practices
      • Special Reports
      • Innovations
    • Data/Lists
      • Rankings/Lists
      • Interactive Databases
      • Data Points
    • Op-Ed
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Awards
      • Nominate/Eligibility
      • 100 Most Influential People
      • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
      • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
      • Excellence in Governance
      • Health Care Hall of Fame
      • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
      • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
      • Top 25 Innovators
      • Diversity in Healthcare
        • - Luminaries
        • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
        • - Leaders to Watch
      • Women in Healthcare
        • - Luminaries
        • - Top 25 Women Leaders
        • - Women to Watch
    • Events
      • Conferences
        • Transformation Summit
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Leadership Symposium
      • Galas
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Supply Chain Revenue Cycle
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Strategic Marketing
        • - Virtual Health
      • Webinars
      • Custom Media Event: ESG Summit
    • Listen
      • Podcast - Next Up
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • MORE +
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Newsletters
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing