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USA: Excess death data compared to confirmed COVID-19 fatalities

sharon sanders

Editor-in-Chief & President
U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Is Far Higher Than Reported, C.D.C. Data Suggests


By Josh Katz, Denise Lu and Margot Sanger-Katz

April 28, 2020


snip

Total deaths in seven states that have been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic are nearly 50 percent higher than normal for the five weeks from March 8 through April 11, according to new death statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is 9,000 more deaths than were reported as of April 11 in official counts of deaths from the coronavirus.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...oll-total.html
 
Last edited by a moderator:
CDC data currently showing 54,080 excess deaths in the 4 week period ending on April 18. Our toll on that date was 38,705 https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum...ities-as-of-april-30-2020?p=850848#post850848 - Ro


Excess Deaths Associated with COVID-19


Estimates of excess deaths can provide information about the burden of mortality potentially related to COVID-19, beyond the number of deaths that are directly attributed to COVID-19. Excess deaths are typically defined as the difference between observed numbers of deaths and expected numbers. This visualization provides weekly data on excess deaths by jurisdiction of occurrence. Counts of deaths in more recent weeks are compared with historical trends to determine whether the number of deaths is significantly higher than expected.

Estimates of excess deaths can be calculated in a variety of ways, and will vary depending on the methodology and assumptions about how many deaths are expected to occur. Estimates of excess deaths presented in this webpage were calculated using Farrington surveillance algorithms (1). For each jurisdiction, a model is used to generate a set of expected counts, and the upper bound of the 95% Confidence Intervals (95% CI) of these expected counts is used as a threshold to estimate excess deaths. Observed counts are compared to these upper bound estimates to determine whether a significant increase in deaths has occurred. Provisional counts are weighted to account for potential underreporting in the most recent weeks. However, data for the most recent week(s) are still likely to be incomplete. Only about 60% of deaths are reported within 10 days of the date of death, and there is considerable variation by jurisdiction. More detail about the methods, weighting, data, and limitations can be found in the Technical Notes.

This visualization includes several different estimates:
  • Number of excess deaths: The number of excess deaths was calculated as the difference between the observed count and the threshold, by week and jurisdiction. Negative values, where the observed count fell below the threshold, were set to zero.
  • Percent excess: The percent excess was defined as the number of excess deaths divided by the threshold.
  • Total number of excess deaths: The total number of excess deaths in each jurisdiction was calculated by summing the excess deaths in each week, from January 1, 2020 to present. Similarly, the total number of excess deaths for the US overall was computed as a sum of jurisdiction-specific numbers of excess deaths (with negative values set to zero), and not directly estimated using the Farrington surveillance algorithms.
Weekly counts of deaths from all causes were examined, including deaths due to COVID-19. As many deaths due to COVID-19 may be assigned to other causes of deaths (for example, if COVID-19 was not mentioned on the death certificate as a suspected cause of death), tracking all-cause mortality can provide information about whether an excess number of deaths is observed, even when COVID-19 mortality may be undercounted. Additionally, deaths from all causes excluding COVID-19 were also estimated. Comparing these two sets of estimates — excess deaths with and without COVID-19 — can provide insight about how many excess deaths are identified as due to COVID-19, and how many excess deaths are reported as due to other causes of death. These deaths could represent misclassified COVID-19 deaths, or potentially could be indirectly related to COVID-19 (e.g., deaths from other causes occurring in the context of health care shortages or overburdened health care systems).

Estimates presented here will be updated periodically, and additional information by cause of death will be added in future releases.

Select a dashboard from the drop-down menu, then click on “Update Dashboard” to navigate through different graphics.
  • The first dashboard shows the weekly predicted counts of deaths from all causes, and the threshold for the expected number of deaths. Select a jurisdiction from the drop-down menu to show data for that jurisdiction.
  • The second dashboard shows the weekly predicted counts of deaths from all causes and the weekly count of deaths from all causes excluding COVID-19. Select a jurisdiction from the drop-down menu to show data for that jurisdiction.
  • The third dashboard shows the weekly counts of deaths from all causes. Predicted counts (weighted) are shown, along with reported (unweighted) counts, to illustrate the impact of underreporting. Select a jurisdiction from the drop-down menu to show data for that jurisdiction.
  • The fourth dashboard shows the total number of excess deaths in 2020. Jurisdictions with one or more excess deaths are shown. Use the radio button to select all-cause mortality, or all-cause excluding COVID-19. Use the drop-down menu to select certain jurisdictions.
  • The fifth dashboard shows the percent by which the observed counts exceed the threshold (i.e. percent excess) by week and jurisdiction. Use the radio button to select all-cause mortality, or all-cause excluding COVID-19. Use the drop-down menu to select certain jurisdictions.
Download datasets in CSV format by clicking on the link for the desired dataset under “CSV Format” link. Additional file formats are available for download for each dataset at Data.CDC.Gov.
...
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/c...ess_deaths.htm
 
Daily Updates of Totals by Week and State


Provisional Death Counts for Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

minus icon
Contents
Updated: May 15, 2020

alert icon

Note: Provisional death counts are based on death certificate data received and coded by the National Center for Health Statistics as of May 15, 2020. Death counts are delayed and may differ from other published sources (see Technical Notes). Counts will be updated periodically. Additional information will be added to this site as available.

The provisional counts for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) deaths are based on a current flow of mortality data in the National Vital Statistics System. National provisional counts include deaths occurring within the 50 states and the District of Columbia that have been received and coded as of the date specified. It is important to note that it can take several weeks for death records to be submitted to National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), processed, coded, and tabulated. Therefore, the data shown on this page may be incomplete, and will likely not include all deaths that occurred during a given time period, especially for the more recent time periods. Death counts for earlier weeks are continually revised and may increase or decrease as new and updated death certificate data are received from the states by NCHS. COVID-19 death counts shown here may differ from other published sources, as data currently are lagged by an average of 1–2 weeks.

The provisional data presented on this page include the weekly provisional count of deaths in the United States due to COVID-19, deaths from all causes and percent of expected deaths (i.e., number of deaths received over number of deaths expected based on data from previous years), pneumonia deaths (excluding pneumonia deaths involving influenza), pneumonia deaths involving COVID-19, influenza deaths, and deaths involving pneumonia, influenza, or COVID-19; (a) by week ending date and (b) by specific jurisdictions.
Table 1 has counts of death involving COVID-19 and select causes of death by the week ending date in which the death occurred. For COVID-19 deaths by week ending date at the state level,
socrata-icon.png
Click here to download.
minus_m.png
Table 1. Deaths involving coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), pneumonia, and influenza reported to NCHS by week ending date, United States. Week ending 2/1/2020 to 5/9/2020.*


Updated May 15, 2020
Total Deaths60,299857,94810181,31826,5166,158120,370
2/1/2020057,535973,70504724,177
2/8/2020158,140973,70305064,210
2/15/2020057,480983,73405354,269
2/22/2020257,510993,60205534,157
2/29/2020757,7841003,71456254,341
3/7/20203257,373993,796166084,419
3/14/20205155,856983,781265984,403
3/21/202051755,965994,2912375185,083
3/28/20202,89759,0741065,8041,3144207,758
4/4/20208,89366,9781209,2084,26044514,066
4/11/202014,28772,45913110,9836,37245019,018
4/18/202014,07768,0291269,8936,08224617,954
4/25/202010,76060,2161127,8514,60712814,045
5/2/20206,46447,070875,0572,660438,889
5/9/20202,31126,479502,196937113,581
NOTE: Number of deaths reported in this table are the total number of deaths received and coded as of the date of analysis and do not represent all deaths that occurred in that period. The United States population, based on 2018 postcensal estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, is 327,167,434.

*Data during this period are incomplete because of the lag in time between when the death occurred and when the death certificate is completed, submitted to NCHS and processed for reporting purposes. This delay can range from 1 week to 8 weeks or more, depending on the jurisdiction, age, and cause of death.

[SUP]1[/SUP]Deaths with confirmed or presumed COVID-19, coded to ICD–10 code U07.1

[SUP]2[/SUP]Percent of expected deaths is the number of deaths for all causes for this week in 2020 compared to the average number across the same week in 2017–2019. Previous analyses of 2015–2016 provisional data completeness have found that completeness is lower in the first few weeks following the date of death (<25%), and then increases over time such that data are generally at least 75% complete within 8 weeks of when the death occurred (8).

[SUP]3[/SUP]Pneumonia death counts exclude pneumonia deaths involving influenza.

[SUP]4[/SUP]Influenza death counts include deaths with pneumonia or COVID-19 also listed as a cause of death.
[SUP]5[/SUP]Deaths with confirmed or presumed COVID-19, pneumonia, or influenza, coded to ICD–10 codes U07.1 or J09–J18.9.
minus_m.png
Table 2. Deaths involving coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), pneumonia, and influenza reported to NCHS by jurisdiction of occurrence, United States. Week ending 2/1/2020 to 5/9/2020.*


Updated May 15, 2020
United States[SUP]6[/SUP]60,299857,94810181,31826,5166,158120,370
Alabama34214,8499595594871,289
Alaska-1,0348349--58
Arizona40118,6481031,3501911081,668
Arkansas579,075966291771740
California1,90480,587997,1131,1135578,461
Colorado87812,8531091,219486921,698
Connecticut5253,5033731511847768
Delaware1622,549931936215308
District of Columbia1611,823101286161-293
Florida1,47763,8461024,8247772955,814
Georgia93523,893951,7444321002,347
Hawaii153,31896221-19250
Idaho664,170992242124293
Illinois2,24534,3581093,4661,2001734,681
Indiana1,08820,1301021,9835091252,685
Iowa1888,666966183982849
Kansas1327,715975405986699
Kentucky20712,684881,155109911,344
Louisiana1,49713,8621031,272670682,162
Maine614,3971013531531430
Maryland1,32016,3831101,5944931182,524
Massachusetts4,10822,3731253,0331,4921555,797
Michigan3,36132,7641133,6741,6822315,580
Minnesota46913,4661031,0091361161,457
Mississippi3349,518102886152511,119
Missouri38017,936931,1671301701,587
Montana152,70788157-33203
Nebraska424,520893501027409
Nevada2377,5739868418238777
New Hampshire1173,7531022713230385
New Jersey7,23731,2921415,5453,5921129,292
New Mexico1485,161933886827495
New York[SUP]7[/SUP]7,26738,3941296,5283,67519910,303
New York City15,44037,7592368,0795,87192817,779
North Carolina14515,43154971571771,236
North Dakota171,74383160-19190
Ohio79733,082902,1043482412,794
Oklahoma19310,1498593076991,143
Oregon11910,093935414761674
Pennsylvania2,81935,445872,9841,0651824,917
Rhode Island2052,784882157224372
South Carolina22014,77810291179941,146
South Dakota212,20390172-21205
Tennessee20421,581981,612931221,845
Texas74557,248964,2953193215,040
Utah575,6281013212140397
Vermont471,7531021161114166
Virginia74421,2431041,2922591091,884
Washington74716,242951,4033981021,850
West Virginia365,51381407-57493
Wisconsin35516,160103908471471,361
Wyoming-1,31398102--113
Puerto Rico986,298748975036981
NOTE: Number of deaths reported in this table are the total number of deaths received and coded as of the date of analysis and do not represent all deaths that occurred in that period.

*Data during this period are incomplete because of the lag in time between when the death occurred and when the death certificate is completed, submitted to NCHS and processed for reporting purposes. This delay can range from 1 week to 8 weeks or more, depending on the jurisdiction, age, and cause of death.

[SUP]1[/SUP]Deaths with confirmed or presumed COVID-19, coded to ICD–10 code U07.1.

[SUP]2[/SUP]Percent of expected deaths is the number of deaths for all causes for this week in 2020 compared to the average number across the same week in 2017–2019.

[SUP]3[/SUP]Pneumonia death counts exclude pneumonia deaths involving influenza.

[SUP]4[/SUP]Influenza death counts include deaths with pneumonia or COVID-19 also listed as a cause of death.

[SUP]5[/SUP]Deaths with confirmed or presumed COVID-19, pneumonia, or influenza, coded to ICD–10 codes U07.1 or J09-18.9.

[SUP]6[/SUP]United States death count includes the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and New York City.
[SUP]7[/SUP]Excludes New York City.
Understanding the Numbers: Provisional Death Counts and COVID-19


Provisional death counts deliver our most complete and accurate picture of lives lost to COVID-19. They are based on death certificates, which are the most reliable source of data and contain information not available anywhere else, including comorbid conditions, race and ethnicity, and place of death.
How it works


The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) uses incoming data from death certificates to produce provisional COVID-19 death counts. These include deaths occurring within the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

NCHS also provides summaries that examine deaths in specific categories and in greater geographic detail, such as deaths by county, by race and Hispanic origin.

COVID-19 deaths are identified using a new ICD–10 code. When COVID-19 is reported as a cause of death – or when it is listed as a “probable” or “presumed” cause — the death is coded as U07.1. This can include cases with or without laboratory confirmation.
Why these numbers are different


Provisional death counts may not match counts from other sources, such as media reports or numbers from county health departments. Our counts often track 1–2 weeks behind other data.
  • Death certificates take time to be completed. There are many steps to filling out and submitting a death certificate. Waiting for test results can create additional delays.
  • States report at different rates. Currently, 63% of all U.S. deaths are reported within 10 days of the date of death, but there is significant variation between states.
  • It takes extra time to code COVID-19 deaths. While 80% of deaths are electronically processed and coded by NCHS within minutes, most deaths from COVID-19 must be coded by a person, which takes an average of 7 days.
  • Other reporting systems use different definitions or methods for counting deaths.
Things to know about the data


Provisional counts are not final and are subject to change. Counts from previous weeks are continually revised as more records are received and processed.

Provisional data are not yet complete. Counts will not include all deaths that occurred during a given time period, especially for more recent periods. However, we can estimate how complete our numbers are by looking at the average number of deaths reported in previous years.

Death counts should not be compared across states. Some states report deaths on a daily basis, while other states report deaths weekly or monthly. State vital record reporting may also be affected or delayed by COVID-19 related response activities.

For more detailed technical information, visit the Provisional Death Counts for Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Technical Notes page.
Page last reviewed: May 15, 2020
Content source: National Center for Health StatisticshomeNational Vital Statistics System
Related Sites
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/COVID19/index.htm
 
CDC now showing an estimated 82,197 excess deaths between March 21 and May 9. (Range between 84,891 and 113,139 since Feb 1)
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/c....htm#dashboard

By comparison FluTrackers confirmed death toll on May 9 was 78,708.
https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum...alities-as-of-may-23-2020?p=858881#post858881


Daily Updates of Totals by Week and State



Provisional Death Counts for Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

minus icon
Contents
Updated: May 22, 2020

alert icon

Note: Provisional death counts are based on death certificate data received and coded by the National Center for Health Statistics as of May 22, 2020. Death counts are delayed and may differ from other published sources (see Technical Notes). Counts will be updated periodically. Additional information will be added to this site as available.



The provisional counts for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) deaths are based on a current flow of mortality data in the National Vital Statistics System. National provisional counts include deaths occurring within the 50 states and the District of Columbia that have been received and coded as of the date specified. It is important to note that it can take several weeks for death records to be submitted to National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), processed, coded, and tabulated. Therefore, the data shown on this page may be incomplete, and will likely not include all deaths that occurred during a given time period, especially for the more recent time periods. Death counts for earlier weeks are continually revised and may increase or decrease as new and updated death certificate data are received from the states by NCHS. COVID-19 death counts shown here may differ from other published sources, as data currently are lagged by an average of 1–2 weeks.

The provisional data presented on this page include the weekly provisional count of deaths in the United States due to COVID-19, deaths from all causes and percent of expected deaths (i.e., number of deaths received over number of deaths expected based on data from previous years), pneumonia deaths (excluding pneumonia deaths involving influenza), pneumonia deaths involving COVID-19, influenza deaths, and deaths involving pneumonia, influenza, or COVID-19; (a) by week ending date and (b) by specific jurisdictions.
Table 1 has counts of death involving COVID-19 and select causes of death by the week ending date in which the death occurred. For COVID-19 deaths by week ending date at the state level,
socrata-icon.png
Click here to download.
minus_m.png
Table 1. Deaths involving coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), pneumonia, and influenza reported to NCHS by week ending date, United States. Week ending 2/1/2020 to 5/16/2020.*


Updated May 22, 2020
Total Deaths73,639922,51010389,55532,3206,253136,219
2/1/2020057,584973,71304754,188
2/8/2020158,245973,71505074,223
2/15/2020057,585983,74705414,288
2/22/2020257,640993,61005534,165
2/29/2020557,9561013,72736294,358
3/7/20203257,7161003,816166104,441
3/14/20205156,421983,818266004,442
3/21/202053256,801994,3512425285,163
3/28/20202,96460,3751065,9021,3434297,903
4/4/20209,21568,4011209,3524,43145114,365
4/11/202015,03173,86913311,2356,74945619,640
4/18/202015,31170,19413010,3356,58425219,132
4/25/202012,45764,4261228,7605,40013615,863
5/2/20209,35956,6061086,8393,9865012,244
5/9/20206,76446,487944,9242,795308,917
5/16/20201,91522,204531,71174562,887
NOTE: Number of deaths reported in this table are the total number of deaths received and coded as of the date of analysis and do not represent all deaths that occurred in that period. The United States population, based on 2018 postcensal estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, is 327,167,434.

*Data during this period are incomplete because of the lag in time between when the death occurred and when the death certificate is completed, submitted to NCHS and processed for reporting purposes. This delay can range from 1 week to 8 weeks or more, depending on the jurisdiction, age, and cause of death.

[SUP]1[/SUP]Deaths with confirmed or presumed COVID-19, coded to ICD–10 code U07.1

[SUP]2[/SUP]Percent of expected deaths is the number of deaths for all causes for this week in 2020 compared to the average number across the same week in 2017–2019. Previous analyses of 2015–2016 provisional data completeness have found that completeness is lower in the first few weeks following the date of death (<25%), and then increases over time such that data are generally at least 75% complete within 8 weeks of when the death occurred (8).

[SUP]3[/SUP]Pneumonia death counts exclude pneumonia deaths involving influenza.

[SUP]4[/SUP]Influenza death counts include deaths with pneumonia or COVID-19 also listed as a cause of death.
[SUP]5[/SUP]Deaths with confirmed or presumed COVID-19, pneumonia, or influenza, coded to ICD–10 codes U07.1 or J09–J18.9.
minus_m.png
Table 2. Deaths involving coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), pneumonia, and influenza reported to NCHS by jurisdiction of occurrence, United States. Week ending 2/1/2020 to 5/16/2020.*


Updated May 22, 2020
United States[SUP]6[/SUP]73,639922,51010389,55532,3206,253136,219
Alabama42315,836951,023120881,413
Alaska-1,1258554--64
Arizona51819,9971051,4832541091,856
Arkansas829,842986732274807
California2,48586,0301007,7181,4145629,350
Colorado1,08813,8151111,361588931,949
Connecticut9184,87548438195561,216
Delaware2172,758962208515367
District of Columbia2161,962103344216-351
Florida1,69867,4731025,1358893006,237
Georgia1,13925,493971,8955301022,606
Hawaii153,53897236-19265
Idaho704,362982272324298
Illinois3,01637,2671123,9861,6011745,572
Indiana1,39621,3671022,1496291263,039
Iowa2649,244976626283947
Kansas1638,126975747387751
Kentucky27413,570901,243141931,468
Louisiana1,75414,8891051,411778702,452
Maine704,6431013641631449
Maryland1,75217,8731131,8106481213,020
Massachusetts5,06624,2871283,4311,8361596,812
Michigan3,90433,7521113,9361,9732316,094
Minnesota61814,4311041,0971821171,649
Mississippi3919,902101939176511,205
Missouri49619,301951,2621731711,756
Montana162,96590166-34213
Nebraska885,093953962828484
Nevada2928,08110074422038854
New Hampshire1564,0101033014930437
New Jersey9,25335,0691496,4874,58211511,261
New Mexico1905,446934148427547
New York[SUP]7[/SUP]8,25640,8741307,0354,13520011,339
New York City17,00240,2292368,7426,56093719,316
North Carolina22218,651631,208871961,539
North Dakota241,839831671019200
Ohio1,10135,529902,3274692463,204
Oklahoma21410,6428598387991,206
Oregon13710,748955785261724
Pennsylvania4,43939,622923,7351,6991836,655
Rhode Island3043,0459326111024479
South Carolina33916,1021061,023131951,325
South Dakota342,354931821321224
Tennessee24622,8271001,7041051241,969
Texas96261,339994,6204053255,500
Utah705,9901023342640418
Vermont511,8661041231214176
Virginia96222,3391051,3943291102,135
Washington76617,7261001,4604091031,916
West Virginia505,864844381258534
Wisconsin41917,109105958671481,456
Wyoming-1,393103104--115
Puerto Rico1107,274861,02658471,124
NOTE: Number of deaths reported in this table are the total number of deaths received and coded as of the date of analysis and do not represent all deaths that occurred in that period.

*Data during this period are incomplete because of the lag in time between when the death occurred and when the death certificate is completed, submitted to NCHS and processed for reporting purposes. This delay can range from 1 week to 8 weeks or more, depending on the jurisdiction, age, and cause of death.

[SUP]1[/SUP]Deaths with confirmed or presumed COVID-19, coded to ICD–10 code U07.1.

[SUP]2[/SUP]Percent of expected deaths is the number of deaths for all causes for this week in 2020 compared to the average number across the same week in 2017–2019.

[SUP]3[/SUP]Pneumonia death counts exclude pneumonia deaths involving influenza.

[SUP]4[/SUP]Influenza death counts include deaths with pneumonia or COVID-19 also listed as a cause of death.

[SUP]5[/SUP]Deaths with confirmed or presumed COVID-19, pneumonia, or influenza, coded to ICD–10 codes U07.1 or J09-18.9.

[SUP]6[/SUP]United States death count includes the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and New York City.
[SUP]7[/SUP]Excludes New York City.
Understanding the Numbers: Provisional Death Counts and COVID-19


Provisional death counts deliver our most complete and accurate picture of lives lost to COVID-19. They are based on death certificates, which are the most reliable source of data and contain information not available anywhere else, including comorbid conditions, race and ethnicity, and place of death.
How it works


The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) uses incoming data from death certificates to produce provisional COVID-19 death counts. These include deaths occurring within the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

NCHS also provides summaries that examine deaths in specific categories and in greater geographic detail, such as deaths by county, by race and Hispanic origin.

COVID-19 deaths are identified using a new ICD–10 code. When COVID-19 is reported as a cause of death – or when it is listed as a “probable” or “presumed” cause — the death is coded as U07.1. This can include cases with or without laboratory confirmation.
Why these numbers are different


Provisional death counts may not match counts from other sources, such as media reports or numbers from county health departments. Our counts often track 1–2 weeks behind other data.
  • Death certificates take time to be completed. There are many steps to filling out and submitting a death certificate. Waiting for test results can create additional delays.
  • States report at different rates. Currently, 63% of all U.S. deaths are reported within 10 days of the date of death, but there is significant variation between states.
  • It takes extra time to code COVID-19 deaths. While 80% of deaths are electronically processed and coded by NCHS within minutes, most deaths from COVID-19 must be coded by a person, which takes an average of 7 days.
  • Other reporting systems use different definitions or methods for counting deaths.
Things to know about the data


Provisional counts are not final and are subject to change. Counts from previous weeks are continually revised as more records are received and processed.

Provisional data are not yet complete. Counts will not include all deaths that occurred during a given time period, especially for more recent periods. However, we can estimate how complete our numbers are by looking at the average number of deaths reported in previous years.

Death counts should not be compared across states. Some states report deaths on a daily basis, while other states report deaths weekly or monthly. State vital record reporting may also be affected or delayed by COVID-19 related response activities.

For more detailed technical information, visit the Provisional Death Counts for Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Technical Notes page.
Page last reviewed: May 22, 2020
Content source: National Center for Health StatisticshomeCOVID-19 Data from NCHS
Related Sites
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/COVID19/index.htm
 
Original Investigation
July 1, 2020Estimation of Excess Deaths Associated With the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States, March to May 2020


Daniel M. Weinberger, PhD[SUP]1[/SUP]; Jenny Chen, BS[SUP]2[/SUP]; Ted Cohen, MD, DPH[SUP]1[/SUP]; et alForrest W. Crawford, PhD[SUP]3,4[/SUP]; Farzad Mostashari, MD[SUP]5[/SUP]; Don Olson, MPH[SUP]6[/SUP]; Virginia E. Pitzer, ScD[SUP]1[/SUP]; Nicholas G. Reich, PhD[SUP]7[/SUP]; Marcus Russi, BS[SUP]1[/SUP]; Lone Simonsen, PhD[SUP]8[/SUP]; Anne Watkins, BS[SUP]1[/SUP]; Cecile Viboud, PhD[SUP]2[/SUP]
Author Affiliations Article Information
JAMA Intern Med. Published online July 1, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.3391
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Estimation of Excess Deaths From COVID-19 in the United States, March to May 2020
Key Points

Question Did more all-cause deaths occur during the first months of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States compared with the same months during previous years?

Findings In this cohort study, the number of deaths due to any cause increased by approximately 122 000 from March 1 to May 30, 2020, which is 28% higher than the reported number of COVID-19 deaths.

Meaning Official tallies of deaths due to COVID-19 underestimate the full increase in deaths associated with the pandemic in many states.

Abstract

Importance Efforts to track the severity and public health impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States have been hampered by state-level differences in diagnostic test availability, differing strategies for prioritization of individuals for testing, and delays between testing and reporting. Evaluating unexplained increases in deaths due to all causes or attributed to nonspecific outcomes, such as pneumonia and influenza, can provide a more complete picture of the burden of COVID-19.

Objective To estimate the burden of all deaths related to COVID-19 in the United States from March to May 2020.

Design, Setting, and Population This observational study evaluated the numbers of US deaths from any cause and deaths from pneumonia, influenza, and/or COVID-19 from March 1 through May 30, 2020, using public data of the entire US population from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). These numbers were compared with those from the same period of previous years. All data analyzed were accessed on June 12, 2020.

Main Outcomes and Measures Increases in weekly deaths due to any cause or deaths due to pneumonia/influenza/COVID-19 above a baseline, which was adjusted for time of year, influenza activity, and reporting delays. These estimates were compared with reported deaths attributed to COVID-19 and with testing data.

Results There were approximately 781 000 total deaths in the United States from March 1 to May 30, 2020, representing 122 300 (95% prediction interval, 116 800-127 000) more deaths than would typically be expected at that time of year. There were 95 235 reported deaths officially attributed to COVID-19 from March 1 to May 30, 2020. The number of excess all-cause deaths was 28% higher than the official tally of COVID-19–reported deaths during that period. In several states, these deaths occurred before increases in the availability of COVID-19 diagnostic tests and were not counted in official COVID-19 death records. There was substantial variability between states in the difference between official COVID-19 deaths and the estimated burden of excess deaths.

Conclusions and Relevance Excess deaths provide an estimate of the full COVID-19 burden and indicate that official tallies likely undercount deaths due to the virus. The mortality burden and the completeness of the tallies vary markedly between states.

Introduction

The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) first emerged in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and rapidly grew into a global pandemic.[SUP]1[/SUP] Without adequate capacity to test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), during the early part of the pandemic, laboratory-confirmed cases captured only an estimated 10% to 15% of all infections.[SUP]2[/SUP] As a result, estimating the number of deaths caused by COVID-19 is a challenge.

Questions have been raised about the reported tallies of deaths related to COVID-19 in the United States. Some officials have raised concerns that deaths not caused by the virus were improperly attributed to COVID-19, inflating the reported tolls. However, given the limited availability of viral testing and the imperfect sensitivity of the tests,[SUP]3[/SUP][SUP],4[/SUP] there have likely been a number of deaths caused by the virus that were not counted. Furthermore, if patients with chronic conditions turn away from the health care system because of concerns about potential COVID-19 infection, there could be increases in certain categories of deaths unrelated to COVID-19. In the midst of a large outbreak, there is also an unavoidable delay in the compilation of death certificates and ascertainment of causes of death. Overall, the degree of testing, criteria for attributing deaths to COVID-19, and the length of reporting delays are expected to vary between states, further complicating efforts to obtain an accurate count of deaths related to the pandemic.

To estimate the mortality burden of a new infectious agent when there is a lack of comprehensive testing, it is common to assess increases in rates of death beyond what would be expected if the pathogen had not circulated.[SUP]5[/SUP][SUP]-7[/SUP] The “excess death” approach can be applied to specific causes of death directly related to the pathogen (eg, pneumonia or other respiratory conditions), or this approach can be applied to other categories of deaths that may be directly or indirectly influenced by viral circulation or pandemic interventions (eg, cardiac conditions, traffic injuries, or all causes). The excess deaths methodology has been used to quantify official undercounting of deaths for many pathogens, including pandemic influenza viruses and HIV.[SUP]7[/SUP][SUP]-9[/SUP]

In this study, we estimate the excess deaths due to any cause in each week of the COVID-19 pandemic across the United States. We compare these estimates of excess deaths with the reported numbers of deaths due to COVID-19 in different states and evaluate the timing of these increases in relation to testing and pandemic intensity. These analyses provide insights into the burden of COVID-19 in the early months of the outbreak in the United States and serve as a surveillance platform that can be updated as new data accrue.

Methods

Data

Data on deaths due to pneumonia, influenza, and COVID-19 (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision codes U07.1 or J09-J18) and on deaths due to all causes were obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) mortality surveillance system.[SUP]10[/SUP] Data were stratified by state and week.

Data on all-cause deaths in previous years were obtained from https://data.cdc.gov/resource/pp7x-dyj2 and https://data.cdc.gov/resource/muzy-jte6. Data on all-cause deaths and pneumonia/influenza/COVID-19 deaths since January 26, 2020, were obtained from https://data.cdc.gov/resource/r8kw-7aab. The NCHS data are based on the state where the death occurred rather than the state of residence.

The NCHS reports deaths as they are received from the states and processed; counts of deaths from recent weeks are highly incomplete, reflecting delays in reporting. These “provisional” counts are updated regularly for past weeks, and the counts are not finalized until more than a year after the deaths occur.

Historical data on the proportion of deaths due to pneumonia and influenza in previous years were obtained from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) weekly influenza death reports (https://gis.cdc.gov/grasp/fluview/mortality.html) via the cdcfluview package in R (R Foundation), and these were used to determine the number of pneumonia and influenza deaths in the baseline period. All data were accessed June 12, 2020.

Connecticut and North Carolina were missing mortality data for recent months and were therefore excluded from the analyses and from the baseline numbers.

We also compiled data on COVID-19–related morbidity to gauge the timing and intensity of the pandemic in different locations. We used CDC data on influenza-like illness,[SUP]11[/SUP] a long-standing indicator of morbidity due to acute respiratory infections, which has been used to monitor COVID-19. We also obtained information on influenza virus circulation to adjust baseline estimates.[SUP]12[/SUP] See the eAppendix in the Supplement for details.

To compare our excess mortality estimates with official COVID-19 tallies, we compiled weekly numbers of reported deaths due to COVID-19 in each state from the NCHS,[SUP]13[/SUP] and these data were supplemented with data from the COVID Tracking Project.[SUP]14[/SUP] State-specific testing information was obtained from the COVID Tracking Project[SUP]14[/SUP]

These analyses use publicly available aggregate data and were deemed exempt from human subjects review by the Yale institutional review board (protocol 1411014890).

Excess Mortality and Morbidity Analysis

To calculate the number of excess deaths, we first needed to estimate the baseline number of deaths in the absence of COVID-19. We then subtracted the expected number of deaths in each week from the observed number of deaths for the period March 1, 2020, to May 30, 2020.

Each of the 48 states (excluding North Carolina and Connecticut) and the District of Columbia were analyzed individually. We fit Poisson regression models to the weekly state-level death counts from January 5, 2015, to January 25, 2020 (see the eAppendix in the Supplement for details). The baseline was then projected forward until May 30, 2020, to generate baseline deaths; excess mortality was defined as the observed mortality minus the baseline for the pandemic period March 1, 2020, to May 30, 2020. The baseline model was adjusted for seasonality, year-to-year baseline variation, influenza epidemics, and reporting delays. The model for pneumonia/influenza/COVID-19 mortality used all-cause deaths as a denominator and did not have a separate adjustment for reporting delays. Poisson 95% prediction intervals were estimated by sampling from the uncertainty distributions for the estimated model parameters.[SUP]15[/SUP] Pennsylvania was not highlighted in the data despite having a large number of excess deaths because the data were incomplete during March 2020. Deaths for New York City are reported separately by the NCHS, and we report estimates for New York City and the rest of New York State separately. To obtain national-level estimates, the observed count and predicted counts (median estimate from the model) for each state were summed for each week and compared. Estimates for excess all-cause deaths were rounded to the nearest 100 and for excess pneumonia/influenza/COVID-19 deaths to the nearest 10. Medians and 95% prediction intervals are presented.

Adjusting for Reporting Delays

Reporting delays make it challenging to estimate excess deaths for recent weeks. To adjust for incomplete data in recent weeks, we adjusted the baseline based on an estimate for data completeness in that week. The estimate of completeness is based on the number of weeks that passed between the week in which the data set was obtained and the week in which the death occurred. We used a modified version of the NobBS package in R to estimate the proportion of deaths that were reported for each date and incorporated that as an adjustment in the main analysis[SUP]16[/SUP] (eAppendix in the Supplement). For instance, if we estimated that the data were 75% complete for a particular week, we multiplied the baseline by 0.75. These reporting delays were estimated using provisional data for deaths that occurred since March 29, 2020, and thus reflect changes in reporting that might have occurred during the pandemic. The completeness of the data varied markedly between states (eFigure 1 in the Supplement).

A study by Woolf et al[SUP]17[/SUP] of excess deaths in the US used the same database and a related harmonic regression method. The main differences in methodology are that Woolf et al did not adjust for reporting delays, the study period ended on April 25, 2020, and that study controlled for time trends using an adjustment for calendar year rather than epidemiological year.

Code and Data Availability

The analyses were run using R version 3.6.1. All analysis scripts and archives of the data are available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3893882 and the current version of the repository is available at https://github.com/weinbergerlab/excess_pi_covid. More details about the data and methods are in the eAppendix in the Supplement.

Results

Across the United States, there were 95 235 reported deaths officially attributed to COVID-19 from March 1 to May 30, 2020. In comparison, there were an estimated 122 300 (95% prediction interval, 116 800-127 000) excess deaths during the same period (Table). The deaths officially attributed to COVID-19 accounted for 78% of the excess all-cause deaths, leaving 22% unattributed to COVID-19. The proportion of excess deaths that were attributed to COVID-19 varied between states and increased over time (Table and Figure 1).

The changes in mortality that occurred during the pandemic varied by state and region. In New York City, all-cause mortality rose 7-fold above baseline at the peak of the pandemic, for a total of 25 100 (95%prediction interval, 24 800-25 400) excess deaths, of which 26% were unattributed to COVID-19 (Table and Figure 2). In contrast, in the rest of New York State, the increase was more moderate, rising 2-fold above baseline and resulting in 12 300 (95% prediction interval, 11 900-12 700) excess deaths. There were notable per capita increases in rates of death due to any cause in many other states, including New Jersey, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Illinois, and Michigan, where the number of deaths greatly exceeded the expected levels (Table, Figure 2, and Figure 3; eFigure 2 in the Supplement for additional states). Other states, particularly smaller states in the central United States and northern New England, had some COVID-19 deaths reported in official tallies but small or no detectable increases in all-cause deaths above expected levels (Table).

The gap between the reported COVID-19 deaths and the estimated all-cause excess deaths varied among states (Table; eFigure 3 in the Supplement). For instance, California had 4046 reported deaths due to COVID-19 and 6800 (95% prediction interval, 6100-7500) excess all-cause deaths, leaving 41% of the excess deaths unattributed to COVID-19 (Table). Texas and Arizona had even wider gaps, with approximately 55% and 53% of the excess deaths unattributed to COVID-19, respectively. In contrast, there was better agreement between the reported COVID-19 deaths and the excess all-cause deaths in Minnesota, with 12% unattributed to COVID-19 (Table).

Some of the discrepancy between reported COVID-19 deaths and excess deaths could be related to the intensity and timing of increases in testing. In some states (eg, Texas, California), excess all-cause mortality preceded the widespread adoption of testing for SARS-CoV-2 by several weeks (Figure 4; eFigure 4 in the Supplement for additional states). In other states (eg, Massachusetts, Minnesota), testing intensity increased prior to or with the increase in excess deaths, and the gap between COVID-19 deaths and excess deaths was smaller (Figure 4).

The increase in excess deaths in many states trailed an increase in outpatient visits due to influenza-like illness by several weeks (eFigure 5 in the Supplement).

We performed several sensitivity analyses. We refit the seasonal baseline without adjusting for influenza activity (eTable in the Supplement). Excluding influenza pulled the baseline upward and led to smaller excess estimates in some states. Furthermore, we created an empirical baseline by averaging the number of deaths in corresponding weeks of the previous years. This yielded weekly estimates of excess death that aligned closely with estimates from our model in April 2020. The estimates of excess deaths based on the empirical baseline were slightly higher than those calculated with the modeled baseline in March 2020 and much lower estimates for May (eFigure 6 in the Supplement). The difference in the estimates for May is driven by reporting delays, which are adjusted for in the modeling approach but not in the empirical baseline. This suggests that our modeling approach provides robust estimates of excess mortality while allowing for formal quantification of uncertainty and more timely estimates than other empirical approaches. Finally, we explored the accuracy of our adjustment for reporting lags (eFigure 8 in the Supplement). The reporting delay correction underestimates deaths by 5% to 8% 2 weeks after the deaths at the national level but then stabilizes after 3 weeks or more. Therefore, our excess mortality estimates for the most recent week are modestly conservative.

Mortality data are released regularly, and updated analyses, along with additional figures, are available at https://weinbergerlab.github.io/excess_pi_covid/.

Discussion

Monitoring excess deaths has been used as a method for tracking influenza mortality for more than a century. Herein, we used a similar strategy to capture COVID-19 deaths that had not been attributed specifically to the pandemic coronavirus. Monitoring trends in broad mortality outcomes, like changes in all-cause and pneumonia/influenza/COVID-19 mortality, provides a window into the magnitude of the mortality burden missed in official tallies of COVID-19 deaths. Given the variability in testing intensity between states and over time, this type of monitoring provides key information on the severity of the pandemic and the degree to which viral testing might be missing deaths caused by COVID-19. These findings demonstrate that estimates of the death toll of COVID-19 based on excess all-cause mortality may be more reliable than those relying only on reported deaths, particularly in places that lack widespread testing.

Syndromic end points, such as deaths due to pneumonia/influenza/COVID-19, outpatient visits for influenza-like illness, and emergency department visits for fever, can provide a crude but informative measure of the progression of the outbreak.[SUP]18[/SUP] These measures themselves can be biased by changes in health-seeking behavior and how conditions are recorded. However, in the absence of widespread and systematic testing for COVID-19, they provide a useful measure of pandemic progression and the impact of interventions.

The gap between reported COVID-19 deaths and excess deaths can be influenced by several factors, including the intensity of testing; guidelines on the recording of deaths that are suspected to be related to COVID-19 but do not have a laboratory confirmation; and the location of death (eg, hospital, nursing home, or unattended death at home). For instance, deaths that occur in nursing homes might be more likely to be recognized as part of an epidemic and correctly recorded as due to COVID-19. As the pandemic has progressed, official statistics have become better aligned with excess mortality estimates, perhaps due to enhanced testing and increased recognition of the clinical features of COVID-19. In New York City, official COVID-19 death counts were revised after careful inspection of death certificates, adding an extra 5048 probable deaths to the 13 831 laboratory-confirmed deaths.[SUP]19[/SUP] As a result, the all-cause excess mortality burden from March 11 to May 2, 2020, is only 27% higher than official COVID-19 statistics.[SUP]19[/SUP] This aligns well with our estimate of 26% for a similar period in New York City, using a slightly different modeling approach.

Many European countries have experienced sharp increases in all-cause deaths associated with the pandemic. Real-time all-cause mortality data from the EuroMomo project (https://www.euromomo.eu/) demonstrate gaps between the official COVID-19 death toll and excess deaths that echo findings in our study. These gaps are more pronounced in countries that were affected more and earlier by the pandemic and had weak testing. Very limited excess mortality information is available from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and South America thus far; these data will be important to fully capture the heterogeneity of death rates related to the COVID-19 pandemic across the world. Prior work on the 1918 and 2009 pandemics has shown substantial heterogeneity in mortality burden between countries, in part related to health care.[SUP]8[/SUP][SUP],20[/SUP]

Limitations

These analyses are all based on provisional data, which are incomplete for recent weeks in some states because of reporting delays. We have attempted to correct for these reporting delays in the analysis. Sensitivity analyses suggest that these corrections might result in estimates that are conservative (smaller estimates of excess) in the most recent week (eFigure 8 in the Supplement) at the national level, but the correction might overestimate excess deaths in the most recent week in some states. Since several months of data have accrued, and pandemic activity is currently low nationally, any inaccuracies in correcting for reporting delays in recent weeks would likely have a minor impact on the overall estimates of excess deaths.

An alternative approach to the one presented here would be to simply apply the observed number of deaths to the average number of deaths in the corresponding weeks from previous years (eFigure 6 in the Supplement). While this would yield similar answers during certain periods (particularly in April 2020), using an empirical baseline would ignore secular trends in death rates, the potential impact of influenza epidemics in the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, and reporting delays in more recent weeks. While it would be ideal to wait until the pandemic is over and analyze complete data, there is a need for timely data and analysis during public health emergencies, so the trade-off between data completeness is warranted.

The number of excess deaths reported herein could reflect increases in rates of death directly caused by the virus, increases indirectly related to the pandemic response (eg, due to avoidance of health care), as well as declines in certain causes (eg, deaths due to motor vehicle collisions or triggered by air pollution). Further work is needed to determine the relative importance of these different forces on the overall estimates of excess deaths.

The national estimates do not include data from Connecticut and North Carolina. Together, these account for only 4.5% of the US population and are unlikely to have a large influence on the national-level estimates.

We used a Poisson regression model for analysis. While there was modest overdispersion in some of the larger states, the 95% prediction intervals provide adequate coverage during the prepandemic period (eFigure 7 in the Supplement).

We present a comparison of excess deaths with influenza-like illness. Influenza activity declined to historically low levels starting in March 2020. At the same time, health care–seeking behavior changed drastically. Therefore, analyses of influenza and influenza-like illness need to be interpreted with caution. Regardless, this analysis demonstrates the expected time lag between outpatient visits for influenza-like illness and excess deaths (eFigure 8 in the Supplement).

Conclusions

Monitoring syndromic causes of death can provide crucial additional information on the severity and progression of the COVID-19 pandemic. Estimates of excess deaths will be less biased by variations in viral testing, but reporting lags need to be properly accounted for. Even in situations of ample testing, deaths due to viral pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, can occur indirectly via secondary bacterial infections or exacerbation of comorbidities. There can also be secondary effects on mortality due to changes in population behavior brought about by strict lockdown measures and an aversion of the health care system. Together with information on official tallies of COVID-19 deaths, monitoring excess mortality provides a key tool in evaluating the effects of an ongoing pandemic.

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Article Information

Corresponding Author: Daniel M. Weinberger, PhD, PO Box 208034, New Haven, CT 06520 (daniel.weinberger@yale.edu).

Accepted for Publication: June 15, 2020.

Published Online: July 1, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.3391

Author Contributions: Dr Weinberger had full access to all of the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Concept and design: Weinberger, Chen, Cohen, Pitzer, Reich, Russi, Simonsen, Viboud.

Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data: Weinberger, Crawford, Mostashari, Olson, Reich, Russi, Watkins, Viboud.

Drafting of the manuscript: Weinberger, Russi, Watkins, Viboud.

Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Weinberger, Chen, Cohen, Crawford, Mostashari, Olson, Pitzer, Reich, Simonsen, Watkins, Viboud.

Statistical analysis: Weinberger, Crawford, Reich, Russi, Viboud.

Obtained funding: Weinberger.

Administrative, technical, or material support: Chen, Olson, Russi, Viboud.

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Weinberger reported receipt of consulting fees from Pfizer, Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, and Affinivax for topics unrelated to this work and being principal investigator on a research grant from Pfizer on an unrelated topic. Dr Pitzer reported having received reimbursement from Merck and Pfizer for travel expenses to scientific input engagements unrelated to the topic of this work and being a member of the World Health Organization Immunization and Vaccine-related Implementation Research Advisory Committee (IVIR-AC). No other disclosures were reported.

Funding/Support: This study was supported by grants R01AI123208 (Dr Weinberger), R01AI137093 (Drs Weinberger and Pitzer), R01AI112970 (Dr Pitzer), and R01AI146555 (Dr Cohen) from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/National Institutes of Health; by grant 1DP2HD091799-01 (Dr Crawford) from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; by grant R35GM119582 (Dr Reich) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences/National Institutes of Health; by grant 1U01IP001122 (Dr Reich) from the CDC; and by grant CF20-0046 (Dr Simonsen) from the Carlsberg Foundation.

Role of the Funder/Sponsor: The funders had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; or decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

Disclaimer: This study does not necessarily represent the views of the National Institutes of Health or the US government. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, or the CDC.

Additional Contributions: We thank Andrew Ba Tran, BA, The Washington Post, for feedback on the analysis code. No compensation was received.

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https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...QBFLxzg1u7rWUI
 
Total predicted number of excess deaths since 2/1/2020 across the United States: 164,937 - 223,011

For comparison our death count is 166,267 through August 12. h/t Ronan Kelly link


Excess Deaths Associated with COVID-19


Provisional Death Counts for Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

Updated August 12, 2020
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Estimates of excess deaths can provide information about the burden of mortality potentially related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including deaths that are directly or indirectly attributed to COVID-19. Excess deaths are typically defined as the difference between the observed numbers of deaths in specific time periods and expected numbers of deaths in the same time periods. This visualization provides weekly estimates of excess deaths by the jurisdiction in which the death occurred. Weekly counts of deaths are compared with historical trends to determine whether the number of deaths is significantly higher than expected.

Counts of deaths from all causes of death, including COVID-19, are presented. As some deaths due to COVID-19 may be assigned to other causes of deaths (for example, if COVID-19 was not diagnosed or not mentioned on the death certificate), tracking all-cause mortality can provide information about whether an excess number of deaths is observed, even when COVID-19 mortality may be undercounted. Additionally, deaths from all causes excluding COVID-19 were also estimated. Comparing these two sets of estimates — excess deaths with and without COVID-19 — can provide insight about how many excess deaths are identified as due to COVID-19, and how many excess deaths are reported as due to other causes of death. These deaths could represent misclassified COVID-19 deaths, or potentially could be indirectly related to the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., deaths from other causes occurring in the context of health care shortages or overburdened health care systems).

As of June 3, 2020, additional information on weekly counts of deaths by cause of death has been added to this release. Similar to all causes of death, these weekly counts can be compared to values from the same weeks in prior years to determine whether recent increases have occurred for specific causes of death. The causes shown here were chosen based on analyses of the most prevalent comorbid conditions reported on death certificates where COVID-19 was listed as a cause of death (see https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/c...#Comorbidities). Cause of death counts are based on the underlying cause of death, and presented for Respiratory diseases, Circulatory diseases, Malignant neoplasms, and Alzheimer disease and dementia. Deaths due to external causes (i.e. injuries) or unknown causes are excluded. For more detail, see the Technical Notes. Weekly counts of deaths were also added by age for all causes.

Estimates of excess deaths can be calculated in a variety of ways, and will vary depending on the methodology and assumptions about how many deaths are expected to occur. Estimates of excess deaths presented in this webpage were calculated using Farrington surveillance algorithms (1). A range of values for the number of excess deaths was calculated as the difference between the observed count and one of two thresholds (either the average expected count or the upper bound of the 95% prediction interval), by week and jurisdiction.

Provisional death counts are weighted to account for incomplete data. However, data for the most recent week(s) are still likely to be incomplete. Weights are based on completeness of provisional data in prior years, but the timeliness of data may have changed in 2020 relative to prior years, so the resulting weighted estimates may be too high in some jurisdictions and too low in others. As more information about the accuracy of the weighted estimates is obtained, further refinements to the weights may be made, which will impact the estimates. Any changes to the methods or weighting algorithm will be noted in the Technical Notes when they occur. More detail about the methods, weighting, data, and limitations can be found in the Technical Notes.

This visualization includes several different estimates:
  • Number of excess deaths: A range of estimates for the number of excess deaths was calculated as the difference between the observed count and one of two thresholds (either the average expected count or the upper bound threshold), by week and jurisdiction. Negative values, where the observed count fell below the threshold, were set to zero.
  • Percent excess: The percent excess was defined as the number of excess deaths divided by the threshold.
  • Total number of excess deaths:The total number of excess deaths in each jurisdiction was calculated by summing the excess deaths in each week, from February 1, 2020 to present. Similarly, the total number of excess deaths for the US overall was computed as a sum of jurisdiction-specific numbers of excess deaths (with negative values set to zero), and not directly estimated using the Farrington surveillance algorithms.
Select a dashboard from the menu, then click on “Update Dashboard” to navigate through the different graphics.
  • The first dashboard shows the weekly predicted counts of deaths from all causes, and the threshold for the expected number of deaths. Select a jurisdiction from the drop-down menu to show data for that jurisdiction.
  • The second dashboard shows the weekly predicted counts of deaths from all causes and the weekly count of deaths from all causes excluding COVID-19. Select a jurisdiction from the drop-down menu to show data for that jurisdiction.
  • The third dashboard shows the weekly counts of deaths from all causes. Predicted counts (weighted) are shown, along with reported (unweighted) counts, to illustrate the impact of underreporting. Select a jurisdiction from the drop-down menu to show data for that jurisdiction.
  • The fourth dashboard shows the total number of excess deaths since early February, 2020. Jurisdictions with one or more excess deaths are shown. Use the radio button to select all-cause mortality, or all-cause excluding COVID-19. Use the drop-down menu to select certain jurisdictions.
  • The fifth dashboard shows the percent by which the observed counts exceed the threshold (i.e. percent excess) by week and jurisdiction. Use the radio button to select all-cause mortality, or all-cause excluding COVID-19. Use the drop-down menu to select certain jurisdictions.
  • The sixth dashboard shows weekly counts of death by age group. Use the drop-down menu to select certain jurisdictions.
  • The seventh dashboard shows weekly counts of death by race and Hispanic origin. Use the drop-down menus to select certain jurisdictions and mortality outcomes (e.g., all-cause mortality, all-cause excluding COVID-19, and COVID-19 deaths).
  • The eighth dashboard shows the change in the weekly number of deaths in 2020 relative to 2015-2019, by race and Hispanic origin. Use the drop-down menu to select certain jurisdictions.
  • The ninth dashboard shows weekly counts of death due to select cause of death groups (Respiratory diseases, Circulatory diseases, Malignant neoplasms, and Alzheimer disease and dementia). Use the drop-down menu to select a jurisdiction.
  • The tenth dashboard shows weekly counts of death for more detailed causes of death within three of the larger groups: Respiratory diseases and Circulatory diseases. Use the drop-down menus to select causes of death and certain jurisdictions.
  • The eleventh dashboard shows the change in the weekly number of deaths in 2020 relative to 2015-2019, by cause of death. Use the drop-down menu to select certain jurisdictions.
  • The twelfth dashboard shows the total number of deaths above the average count since early February, 2020, by cause of death. Use the drop-down menu to select certain jurisdictions.shows the total number of deaths above the average count since early February, 2020, by cause of death. Use the drop-down menu to select certain jurisdictions.
  • The thirteenth dashboard shows the total number of deaths above the average count since early February, 2020, by jurisdiction and cause of death. Use the drop-down menu to select certain jurisdictions.
Download datasets in CSV format by clicking on the link for the desired dataset under “CSV Format” link. Additional file formats are available for download for each dataset at Data.CDC.Gov.

Several changes were made to this visualization, effective as of July 22, 2020. More detail can be found in the Technical Notes. Future refinements to the methodology or other changes will be documented in the Technical Notes.
  1. Weekly counts of deaths by race and Hispanic origin group are presented (new seventh dashboard). Trends are shown for 2015-2019 and 2020 (new eighth dashboard). Outcomes include the predicted number of deaths from all causes, all-causes excluding COVID-19, and COVID-19.
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Weekly Excess Deaths
Excess deaths with and without COVID-19
Excess deaths with and without weighting
Number of Excess Deaths



Percent Excess Deaths
Weekly Number of Deaths by Age
Weekly Number of Deaths by Race/Ethnicity
Change in Number of Deaths by Race/Ethnicity

Weekly Number of Deaths by Cause Group
Weekly Number of Deaths by Cause Subgroup
Change in the Number of Deaths by Cause
Total number above average by cause
Total number above average by jurisdiction/cause

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Figure Notes:


Number of deaths reported on this page are the total number of deaths received and coded as of the date of analysis and do not represent all deaths that occurred in that period. Data are incomplete because of the lag in time between when the death occurred and when the death certificate is completed, submitted to NCHS and processed for reporting purposes. This delay can range from 1 week to 8 weeks or more, depending on the jurisdiction and cause of death. See https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/COVID19/index.htm for more information. Data for New York excludes New York City. Data on all deaths excluding COVID-19 exclude deaths with U07.1 as an underlying or multiple cause of death. Death counts were derived from the National Vital Statistics System database that provides the timeliest access to the vital statistics mortality data and may differ slightly from other sources due to differences in completeness, COVID-19 definitions used, data processing, and imputation of missing dates. Weighted estimates may be too high or too low in certain jurisdictions where the timeliness of provisional data has changed in recent weeks relative to prior years. Data for jurisdictions where counts are between 1 and 9 are suppressed.

The following data tables describe the currently displayed dashboard

click the titlebars to expand / collapse Data tables


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Weekly excess deaths


Technical Notes

Methods


Counts of deaths in the most recent weeks were compared with historical trends (from 2013 to present) to determine whether the number of deaths in recent weeks was significantly higher than expected, using Farrington surveillance algorithms (1). The ‘surveillance’ package in R (2) was used to implement the Farrington algorithms, which use overdispersed Poisson generalized linear models with spline terms to model trends in counts, accounting for seasonality. For each jurisdiction, a model is used to generate a set of expected counts, and an upper bound threshold based on a one-sided 95% prediction interval of these expected counts is used to determine whether a significant increase in deaths has occurred. Estimates of excess deaths are provided based on the observed number of deaths relative to two different thresholds. The lower end of the excess death estimate range is generated by comparing the observed counts to the upper bound threshold, and a higher end of the excess death estimate range is generated by comparing the observed count to the average expected number of deaths. Reported counts were weighted to account for potential underreporting in the most recent weeks.

This method is useful in detecting when jurisdictions may have higher than expected numbers of deaths, but cannot be used to determine whether a given jurisdiction has fewer deaths than expected given that the data are provisional. Provisional counts of deaths are known to be incomplete, and the degree of completeness varies considerably by jurisdiction and time. Incomplete data in recent weeks can contribute to observed counts below the threshold. Thus, the estimates of excess deaths – the numbers of deaths falling above the threshold – may be underestimated. While reported counts are weighted to account for potential underreporting in the most recent weeks, the true magnitude of underreporting is unknown. Therefore, weighted counts of deaths may over- or underestimate the true number of deaths in a given jurisdiction.

A range of estimates of excess deaths is provided based on comparing the observed numbers of deaths to two different thresholds, by week and jurisdiction: 1) the average expected number of deaths, and 2) the upper bound of the 95% prediction interval of the expected number of deaths. Negative values, where the observed count fell below the thresholds, were set to zero. The percent excess was defined as the number of excess deaths divided by the threshold. The total number of excess deaths in each state was calculated by summing the excess deaths in each week, from February 1, 2020 to present. Similarly, the total number of excess deaths in the US was calculated by summing the total numbers of excess deaths across the jurisdictions.

Estimates of excess deaths for the US overall were computed as a sum of jurisdiction-specific numbers of excess deaths (with negative values set to zero), and not directly estimated using the Farrington surveillance algorithms. Summation (rather than estimation) was chosen to account for the possibility that some jurisdictions may have substantially incomplete data while other jurisdictions report may more deaths than expected, these negative and positive values will cancel each other out when estimating excess deaths for the US directly using the Farrington surveillance algorithms. Until data are finalized (typically 12 months after the close of the data year), it is not possible to determine whether observed decreases in mortality using provisional data are due to true declines or to incomplete reporting. Thus, when computing excess deaths directly for the US, negative values due to incomplete reporting in some jurisdictions will offset excess deaths observed in other jurisdictions. For example, the total number of excess deaths in the US computed directly for the US using the Farrington algorithms was approximately 25% lower than the number calculated by summing across the jurisdictions with excess deaths. This difference is likely due to several jurisdictions reporting lower than expected numbers of deaths – which could be a function of underreporting, true declines in mortality in certain areas, or a combination of these factors. In addition, potential discrepancies between the number of excess deaths in the US when estimated directly compared with the sum of jurisdiction-specific estimates could be related to different estimated thresholds for the expected number of deaths in the US and across the jurisdictions.

Different definitions of excess deaths result in different estimates. For example, defining excess deaths as the difference between the observed counts and the expected (not the upper bound estimate) results in larger estimates of excess deaths. The upper bound more readily identifies areas experiencing statistically significantly higher than normal mortality. Using the expected count, by contrast, would indicate which areas are experiencing higher than average mortality. Expected counts are now provided so that users can evaluate excess deaths relative to different thresholds.

Finally, the estimates of excess deaths reported here may not be due to COVID-19, either directly or indirectly. The pandemic may have changed mortality patterns for other causes of death. Upward trends in other causes of death (e.g., suicide, drug overdose, heart disease) may contribute to excess deaths in some jurisdictions. Future analyses of cause-specific excess mortality may provide additional information about these patterns.

As more information about the accuracy of the weighted estimates is obtained, further refinements may be made and changes to the weighting methods will impact the estimates. Any changes to the methods or weighting algorithm will be noted in the Technical Notes when they occur.
Completeness


Methods to address reporting lags (i.e. underreporting) were updated as of May 12, 2020. Generally, these updates resulted in estimates of the total number of excess deaths that were 2% smaller than the previous method, as the impact of extreme weights in some jurisdictions was reduced.

To account for potential underreporting in the most recent weeks, counts were weighted by the inverse of completeness. Completeness was estimated as follows. Using provisional data from 2018-2019, weekly provisional counts were compared to final data (with final data for 2019 approximated by the data available as of April, 9, 2020), at various lag times (e.g., 1 week following the death, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, up to 26 weeks) by reporting jurisdiction. Completeness by week, lag, and jurisdiction was modeled using zero-inflated binomial hierarchical Bayesian models with state-level and temporal random effects. Temporal random effects were included for both the time trend in the provisional counts, and the lag or reporting delay. These random effects were specified using a type-I random walk distribution, where counts in a given time period depend on the value for the prior time period, plus an error term. These models were implemented using R-INLA (3). Posterior predicted median values of completeness by jurisdiction and lag time were obtained from the models, and the weekly estimates for 2019 were averaged to provide the most recent possible estimates of completeness by jurisdiction, at given lag times. The inverse of these completeness values were applied as weights to adjust for incomplete reporting of provisional mortality data. For example, if provisional mortality data in 2019 for a given jurisdiction was 50% complete within 1 week of death and 75% complete within 2 weeks of death, then the weights for that jurisdiction would be 2 for data presented with a 1 week lag and 1.3 for data presented with a 2 week lag. Of note, these estimates of completeness differ from the estimates provided elsewhere (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid19/), which rely on the current counts of deaths relative to the expected number (i.e., percent over expected).

Weights in the first few weeks following the date of death were highly inflated and variable for some jurisdictions with relatively small numbers of deaths and where completeness of provisional data is typically very low (0–2%) in the first few weeks following the date of death. These jurisdictions include: Alaska, Connecticut, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and West Virginia. To avoid highly inflated estimates in these jurisdictions, weights were trimmed at the 90[SUP]th[/SUP] percentile for weeks reported with shorter lag times (e.g., 1–6 weeks).

Unweighted estimates are shown in one of the dashboards so that readers can examine the impact of weighting on estimates of excess deaths. For some jurisdictions, improvements in timeliness in 2020 relative to prior years will lead to weighted estimates that are too large. For other jurisdictions, the weighting may be insufficient to address reporting lags, particularly for data reported with shorter lag times (e.g., within 4–6 weeks). As an additional step to guard against underreporting, the weighted counts of deaths by week and jurisdiction were compared with control counts of deaths based on available demographic information from the death certificate. Demographic data are typically available prior to the cause of death data, which can take 1 week to 8 weeks or more, depending on the jurisdiction and cause of death. For weeks and jurisdictions where the weighted count of deaths was less than the control count based on the demographic data, the weighted values were replaced with the control count. For example, if the weighted count for a given jurisdiction and week was 400, while the control count for that same jurisdiction and week was 800, this indicates that the weights are not fully accounting for incomplete data. In this case, the value of 800 would be used, as it represents a more complete estimate of the total number of deaths occurring in that jurisdiction and week.

Data for jurisdictions where counts are between 1 and 9 are suppressed. Additionally, data for weeks where the counts are less than 50% of the expected number are also suppressed, as these provisional counts are highly incomplete and potentially misleading. This change resulted in showing estimates with a lag of 1 week for most jurisdictions and the US. For some jurisdictions (Connecticut, North Carolina, Puerto Rico), lags may be greater. Declines in the observed numbers of deaths in recent weeks should not be interpreted to mean that the numbers of deaths are decreasing, as these declines are expected when relying on provisional data that are generally less complete in recent weeks. While the weighting method is intended to mitigate the impact of underreporting, it may not be sufficient to eliminate the problem of underreporting entirely. Therefore, it is not yet possible to determine whether decreases in the number of deaths is due to underreporting or to true declines until more complete data is obtained.
Mortality Outcomes


Weekly counts of deaths from all causes were examined, including deaths due to COVID-19. As many deaths due to COVID-19 may be assigned to other causes of deaths (for example, if COVID-19 was not mentioned on the death certificate as a suspected cause of death), tracking all-cause mortality can provide information about whether an excess number of deaths is observed, even when COVID-19 mortality may be undercounted. These estimates can also provide information about deaths that may be indirectly related to COVID-19. For example, if deaths due to other causes may increase as a result of health care shortages due to COVID-19. Additionally, deaths from all causes excluding COVID-19 were also estimated. These counts excluded deaths with U07.1 as an underlying or multiple cause of death.

Comparing these two sets of estimates — excess deaths with and without COVID-19 — can provide insight about how many excess deaths are identified as due to COVID-19, and how many excess deaths are due to other causes of death. These deaths could represent misclassified COVID-19 deaths, or potentially could be indirectly related to COVID-19. Additionally, death certificates are often initially submitted without a cause of death, and then updated when cause of death information becomes available. It may be the case that some excess deaths that are not attributed directly to COVID-19 will be updated in coming weeks with cause-of-death information that includes COVID-19. These analyses will be updated periodically, and the numbers presented will change as more data are received.
Cause of Death


As of June 3, 2020, weekly counts of deaths due to select causes of death are presented. These causes were selected based on analyses of comorbid conditions reported on death certificates where COVID-19 was listed as a cause of death (see https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/c...#Comorbidities). Some causes with insufficient numbers of deaths by week and jurisdiction were combined with other categories, and one cause was added to the Alzheimer disease and dementia category (ICD–10 code G31). These estimates are based on the underlying cause of death, and include: Respiratory diseases, Circulatory diseases, Malignant neoplasms, and Alzheimer disease and dementia. ICD–10 codes were used to classify deaths according to the following causes:
  • Respiratory diseases
    • Influenza and pneumonia (J09–J18)
    • Chronic lower respiratory diseases (J40–J47)
    • Other diseases of the respiratory system (J00–J06, J20–J39, J60–J70, J80–J86, J90–J96, J97–J99, R09.2, U04)
  • Circulatory diseases
    • Hypertensive diseases (I10–I15)
    • Ischemic heart disease (I20–I25)
    • Heart failure (I50)
    • Cerebrovascular diseases (I60–I69)
    • Other disease of the circulatory system (I00–I09, I26–I49, I51, I52, I70–I99)
  • Malignant neoplasms (C00–C97)
  • Alzheimer disease and dementia (G30, G31, F01, F03)
  • Other select causes of death
    • Diabetes (E10–E14)
    • Renal failure (N17–N19)
    • Sepsis (A40–A41)
Estimated numbers of deaths due to these other causes of death could represent misclassified COVID-19 deaths, or potentially could be indirectly related to COVID-19 (e.g., deaths from other causes occurring in the context of health care shortages or overburdened health care systems). Deaths with an underlying cause of death of COVID-19 are not included in these estimates of deaths due to other causes, but deaths where COVID-19 appeared on the death certificate as a multiple cause of death may be included in the cause-specific estimates. For example, in some cases, COVID-19 may have contributed to the death, but the underlying cause of death was another cause, such as terminal cancer. For the majority of deaths where COVID-19 is reported on the death certificate (approximately 95%), COVID-19 is selected as the underlying cause of death.

Deaths due to all other natural causes were excluded (ICD-10 codes: A00–A39, A42–B99, D00–E07, E15–E68, E70–E90, F00, F02, F04–G26, G31–H95, K00–K93, L00–M99, N00–N16, N20–N98, O00–O99, P00–P96, Q00–Q99). External causes of death (i.e. injuries) were excluded, as the reporting lag is substantially longer for external causes of death (4). Additionally, causes of death where the underlying cause was unknown or ill-specified (i.e. R-codes) were excluded (except for R09.2, which is included under the Respiratory diseases category). Counts of deaths with unknown cause are typically substantially higher in provisional data, as many records are initially submitted without a specific cause of death and are then updated when more information becomes available (4). For deaths due to external causes of death or unknown cause, provisional data are highly unreliable and inaccurate in recent weeks, and it can take six to nine months to ensure sufficiently accurate estimates. Counts by cause provided here will not sum to the total number of deaths, given that some causes are excluded.

Estimates by cause of death and age at death are weighted, using the methods described above. The total count of deaths above average levels are shown for select causes of death. These totals are calculated by summing the number of deaths above average levels (based on weekly counts from 2015–2019) since 2/1/2020. Negative values were set to zero and therefore excluded from these sums. Because not all causes of death are shown and due to differences in how the average expected numbers of deaths are estimated, the total numbers of deaths across all the selected causes will not match the numbers of excess deaths from all causes excluding COVID-19.

Estimates by race and Hispanic origin are weighted using the methods described above. Weekly counts are shown for deaths due to all causes, all causes excluding COVID-19, and COVID-19. Because estimates are weighted to account for incomplete reporting in recent weeks, counts of death due to COVID-19 will not match other data sources. For data years 2018 – 2020, race and Hispanic-origin categories are based on the 1997 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) standards, allowing for the presentation of data by single race and Hispanic origin. These race and Hispanic-origin groups—non-Hispanic single-race white, non-Hispanic single-race black or African American, non-Hispanic single-race American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN), and non-Hispanic single-race Asian—differ from the bridged-race categories used in previous data years when not all jurisdictions reported race and Hispanic origin using the 1997 OMB standards. Numbers may therefore differ from previous reports and other sources of data on mortality by race and Hispanic origin.
Limitations


These estimates are based on provisional data, which are incomplete. The weighting method applied may not fully account for reporting lags if there are longer delays at present than in past years. For example, in Pennsylvania, reporting lags are currently much longer than they have been in past years, and death counts for 2020 are therefore underestimated. Conversely, the weighting method may over-adjust for underreporting, given improvements in data timeliness in certain jurisdictions. Unweighted estimates are provided, so that users can see the impact of weighting the provisional counts. However, these unweighted provisional counts are incomplete, and the extent to which they may underestimate the true count of deaths is unknown. Some jurisdictions exhibit recent increases in deaths when using weighted estimates, but not the unweighted. The estimates presented may be an early indication of excess mortality related to COVID-19, but should be interpreted with caution, until confirmed by other data sources such as state or local health departments. It is possible that recent improvements in the timeliness of data could also contribute to the pattern where a jurisdiction exhibits recent increases with the weighted data, but not the unweighted. Conversely, recent increases may be missed in jurisdictions with historically low levels of completeness (e.g., Connecticut, North Carolina) either due to the lack of provisional data or insufficient weighting to address incomplete data.

The completeness of provisional data varies by cause of death and by age group. However, the weights applied do not account for this variability. It is unknown whether completeness varies by race and Hispanic origin. Therefore, the predicted numbers of deaths may be too low for some age groups, race/ethnicity groups, and causes of death. For example, provisional data on deaths among younger age groups is typically less complete than among older age groups. Predicted counts may therefore be too low among the younger age groups. Since the weights were based on the completeness of all-cause mortality data in past years, the weighted estimates for specific causes of death are likely too low, as reporting lags are typically larger for specific causes of death than for all-cause mortality. To minimize the degree of underreporting, cause-specific estimates are presented with a two-week lag.
References
  1. Noufaily A, Enki DG, Farrington P, Garthwaite P, Andrews N, Charlett A. An Improved Algorithm for Outbreak Detection in Multiple Surveillance Systems. Statistics in Medicine 2012;32(7):1206-1222.
  2. Salmon M, Schumacher D, Hohle M. Monitoring Count Time Series in R: Aberration Detection in Public Health Surveillance. Journal of Statistical Software 2016;70(10):1-35.
  3. Rue H, Martino S, Chopin N. Approximate Bayesian inference for latent Gaussian models using integrated nested Laplace approximations (with discussion). Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B 2009;71(2):319-392.
  4. Spencer MR, Ahmad F. Timeliness of death certificate data for mortality surveillance and provisional estimates. National Center for Health Statistics. 2016. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsrr/report001.pdf.pdf icon
Page last reviewed: August 12, 2020

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