tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Open Forum Infect Dis
. 2022 Aug 25;9(9)
fac439.
doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofac439. eCollection 2022 Sep.
Dying at Home Due to Coronavirus Disease 2019
Jessie K Edwards[SUP] 1 [/SUP], David Alain Wohl[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a leading cause of US deaths and when severe requires admission to a hospital; however, 9% of US COVID-19 deaths before 2022 occurred at home.
Methods: Death certificate data were used to examine the cumulative probability of dying at home from COVID-19 and from any cause in North Carolina, including by race and ethnicity.
Results: Between March 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021, 22 646 COVID-19 deaths were recorded in North Carolina; of these, 1771 (7.8%) occurred at home. Cumulative risk of dying at home with COVID-19 increased from 3.3/100 000 on December 31, 2020 to 13.0/100 000 on December 31, 2021. After standardizing each racial/ethnic group, cumulative at-home COVID-19 mortality among Hispanic people compared to White people was 9.9/100 000 versus 2.3/100 000, respectively, at year-end 2020 (difference, 7.6/100 000; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.6-9.6) and 19.0/100 000 versus 11.4/100 000 at year-end 2021 (difference, 7.6; 95% CI, 4.9-10.4). At-home mortality among Black people was also elevated compared to White people (difference, 5.6/100 000; 95% CI, 3.7-7.4) at year-end 2021. Rates of dying at home from any cause increased overall but were greatest among Hispanic people.
Conclusions: By the end of 2021, the risk of dying at home from COVID-19 increased, especially for persons of color. The risk of dying at-home from any cause also increased for all but more so for Hispanic persons. These findings suggest perennial barriers to care prevent those with progressive COVID-19 from accessing medical attention and the need for initiatives that extend healthcare access for those disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 to prevent avoidable death.
Keywords: COVID-19; at-home; disparities; mortality.
. 2022 Aug 25;9(9)
fac439.doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofac439. eCollection 2022 Sep.
Dying at Home Due to Coronavirus Disease 2019
Jessie K Edwards[SUP] 1 [/SUP], David Alain Wohl[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 36119962
- PMCID: PMC9472664
- DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofac439
Abstract
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a leading cause of US deaths and when severe requires admission to a hospital; however, 9% of US COVID-19 deaths before 2022 occurred at home.
Methods: Death certificate data were used to examine the cumulative probability of dying at home from COVID-19 and from any cause in North Carolina, including by race and ethnicity.
Results: Between March 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021, 22 646 COVID-19 deaths were recorded in North Carolina; of these, 1771 (7.8%) occurred at home. Cumulative risk of dying at home with COVID-19 increased from 3.3/100 000 on December 31, 2020 to 13.0/100 000 on December 31, 2021. After standardizing each racial/ethnic group, cumulative at-home COVID-19 mortality among Hispanic people compared to White people was 9.9/100 000 versus 2.3/100 000, respectively, at year-end 2020 (difference, 7.6/100 000; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.6-9.6) and 19.0/100 000 versus 11.4/100 000 at year-end 2021 (difference, 7.6; 95% CI, 4.9-10.4). At-home mortality among Black people was also elevated compared to White people (difference, 5.6/100 000; 95% CI, 3.7-7.4) at year-end 2021. Rates of dying at home from any cause increased overall but were greatest among Hispanic people.
Conclusions: By the end of 2021, the risk of dying at home from COVID-19 increased, especially for persons of color. The risk of dying at-home from any cause also increased for all but more so for Hispanic persons. These findings suggest perennial barriers to care prevent those with progressive COVID-19 from accessing medical attention and the need for initiatives that extend healthcare access for those disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 to prevent avoidable death.
Keywords: COVID-19; at-home; disparities; mortality.