Excess All-Cause Deaths during Coronavirus Disease Pandemic, Japan, January–May 20201
Takayuki Kawashima, Shuhei Nomura, Yuta Tanoue, Daisuke Yoneoka, Akifumi Eguchi, Chris Fook Sheng Ng, Kentaro Matsuura, Shoi Shi, Koji Makiyama, Shinya Uryu, Yumi Kawamura, Shinichi Takayanagi, Stuart Gilmour, Hiroaki Miyata, Tomimasa Sunagawa, Takuri Takahashi, Yuuki Tsuchihashi, Yusuke Kobayashi, Yuzo Arima, Kazuhiko Kanou, Motoi Suzuki, Masahiro Hashizume
Abstract
S evere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) first appeared in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and has rapidly led to a global pandemic (1). Globally, accurate figures on deaths caused by coronavirus disease have been difficult to obtain because of limited availability and quality of virus testing (2,3) (Y. Yang et al., unpub. data, https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.0 2.11.20021493v2); it is generally accepted that many deaths caused by COVID-19 have not yet been recorded ( Lockdown measures are in place in many countries and regions around the world, but such measures can lead to reduced access to health services, exacerbating chronic diseases and delaying response to acute diseases (5). Access to hospitals for elective surgery may also be hampered by the collapsing medical system associated with the increased number of COVID-19 patients (6). The cause of death, especially among elderly persons in care homes or living alone, may not be adequately diagnosed or even recorded during a pandemic situation (7).