2023-12-19 08:10:42
Published on Dec 19 2023 at 7:10
The pandemic may be under control, but Covid still kills. In 2021, the disease was, once again, the third cause of death in France (9.2% of all), report Inserm, Drees and Santé Publique France (SPF), in a study which appears this Tuesday.
The virus alone has killed more people than all other respiratory diseases combined. However, it remains less lethal than tumors (25.7%) and diseases of the circulatory system (20.9%),
In 2021, the total number of deaths over one year (660,168) remains significantly higher than that of previous years (603,901 on average between 2015 and 2019), underline the health authorities. This despite the arrival of vaccines and the maintenance of various protective measures (confinement, curfew, health pass and compulsory wearing of masks).
Younger deaths
Overall, Covid-19 is responsible for 60,895 deaths over one year. And the elderly pay the heaviest price. In 2021, the median age of people who died from Covid was 84 years old, compared to 86 years old in 2020. Main explanation for this rejuvenation of victims: the increase in vaccination. Public Health France thus observed “a pronounced drop in deaths of people over 85 throughout the first half of the year”.
For younger people, the changes are less marked. Between 2020 and 2021, the share of people under 65 among Covid deaths increased from 6.2% to 8.4%. That of 65 to 74 year olds jumped from 11.9% to 15.8%. “Younger populations benefited later from the effects of vaccination coverage and, conversely, the gradual lifting of restrictive measures left them more exposed to the virus,” explains SPF.
Deaths at home
Geographical disparities also exist: the DROMs were thus severely affected in 2021 by mortality due to Covid. In mainland France, the western side of the country remained, as in 2020, less affected. On the other hand, mortality increased sharply during the year in the south of France, in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur in particular.
Latest lesson: two thirds of deaths due to Covid-19 in 2021 took place in public health establishments. However, they only record 43% of deaths from all causes. “There has been a movement of deaths towards the home which goes beyond the direct effects of the pandemic,” estimates the Drees, which highlights the more frequent use of hospitalization at home.
Covid, responsible for a break in trends?
The analysis of the causes of death highlighted notable increases in mortality due to diseases of the circulatory system in 2021 and to endocrine and digestive system diseases from 2020. These increases are a break from the trends in years 2015-2019. They could be linked to indirect effects of the Covid-19 epidemic, such as delays in care. It is, for the moment, impossible to assess the role of these factors in the observed increase.
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