Impact of the COVID-19 Epidemic on Death Among Critically Ill Patients

Backgrounds : The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic is a major public health problem worldwide. This study estimated the impact of SARS-CoV-2 in terms of the excess mortality from any cause during the COVID-19 epidemic in the Republic of Korea. Methods : The excess mortality, ICU admissions and hospital admissions during the COVID-19 epidemic was analyzed using the number of deaths over the past 5 years (2015–2019) in Korea. The numbers of total deaths and COVID-19–related deaths were counted from January 2020 through May 2022, using public data from the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS) of Statistics Korea. Data of hospital admissions were obtained from Health Insurance Review and Assessment (HIRA) service and KOSIS of Statistics Korea. Results : These numbers were compared with nationwide mortality data from January 1, 2015, through December 2019. There were more than 24,000 reported deaths officially across Korea from January 2020 through May 2022. Excess mortality was observed nationwide in March, August, October, November, and December 2020; January, March, July, and August 2021; and October 2021 through May 2022, which was consistent with the epidemic waves in the country. There was a decline in ICU admissions, especially soon after the declaration of the COVID-19 epidemic. Conclusions : After 2021, significant excess mortality occurred at the national level despite decreasing COVID-19 case fatality rates and decreased admissions to intensive care units, which means there might be an another relevant factors on all-cause mortality aside from the direct effect of deaths from COVID-19.