Excess all-cause mortality during the first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic in France, March to May 2020

Euro Surveill. 2020 Aug;25(34):2001485. doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.34.2001485.

Abstract

Through a weekly all-cause mortality surveillance system, we observed in France a major all-cause excess mortality from March to May 2020, concomitant with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic. The excess mortality was 25,030 deaths, mainly among elderly people. Five metropolitan regions were the most affected, particularly Île-de-France and the Grand-Est regions. Assessing the excess mortality related to COVID-19 is complex because of the potential protective effect of the lockdown period on other causes of mortality.

Keywords: COVID-19; France; all-cause; mortality; reactive surveillance.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Betacoronavirus
  • COVID-19
  • Coronavirus Infections / mortality*
  • Coronavirus*
  • France / epidemiology
  • Humans
  • Mortality
  • Pandemics
  • Pneumonia, Viral / mortality*
  • Population Surveillance
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Urban Population