The phenomenon of 'excess deaths'
seen at the peak of the coronavirus emergency stopped in Italy
in May, the Higher Health Institute (ISS) and national
statistics agency ISTAT have said
Dramatic.
"The dramatic 'excess of mortality' registered in the months of
March and April 2020 ended in May thanks to the
non-pharmacological preventative measures enforced," said the
third ISS-ISTAT report on total deaths and the deaths of
COVID-19-positive individuals regarding the month of May.
Slight Drop.
The report said deaths at the national level were slightly down
in May with respect for the average for the month registered in
the 2015-2019 period.
It said only areas where the epidemic continues to be widespread
had a slight excess mortality rate in May (3.9%).
Lombardy.
In May Lombardy, the hardest-hit region, had the highest
excess-death rate (8.6%), although this was considerably lower
than the 190% increase reported in the same region in March and
112% in April.
The highest excess-death rate was reported in the province of
Lecco (20.2%), although even this area registered a major
decrease with respect to the increases of March (185%) and April
(129%).
Mortality Rate Higher Among Men.
The COVID-19 epidemic continues to hit women more, but the
mortality rate is higher among men, the report said, analysing
the data up to the end of May.
It also confirmed that the coronavirus has a much lower
incidence among children.
"The prevalence of female cases (54.2%) and the average age of
the cases (60-64 years) remains unchanged," it said.
"1% of COVID-19 cases (3,150) were diagnosed in the 0-14 age
range and 33% in the over.75 age range: in this latter age
range, women account for 61%, in part because of the net
prevalence of females in this segment of the population".
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