Objectives Mortality statistics during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are crucial for the allocation of medical care resources and public health decision-making. This study was initiated to investigate the excess mortality among older adults during the pandemic. Our research focuses on 2 primary areas. First, we analyzed the cumulative excess mortality across all age groups to assess the global impact and specifically examined the top 20 countries with the highest mortality rates during the pandemic. Second, we explored excess deaths among older adults by categorizing data from the years 2020 and 2021 into age groups: 65–74, 75–84, and above 85.
Methods We analyzed data from the top 20 countries with the highest mortality rates globally, focusing on 3 components: all-cause mortality means, expected deaths mean, and excess deaths mean for both older men and women.
Results Although excess mortality is higher among older men and women across all 3 age groups (65–74, 75–84, and >85), the highest mean excess mortality was observed in women over the age of 85.
Conclusion The results indicate that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus had a disproportionately intense impact on older women. We developed 2 types of statistical models using the data: a binomial distribution model and a correlation coefficient model, both considering the mean excess deaths in older men and women across these 3 age groups. Estimating the excess mortality among older adults will aid in the formulation of healthcare policies for this demographic.
The extensive history of pandemics has spanned many centuries, profoundly impacting societies, economies, and public health, and thereby shaping the course of history in various ways. Advances in medicine, science, and public health practices have played a pivotal role in mitigating the effects of pandemics over time. This review explores the scientific landscape of contemporary pandemics, examining their diverse and complex nature. It goes beyond the biological aspects of pandemics to consider socioeconomic, environmental, and technological factors. Through a scientific lens, this study aims to understand the complexities of pandemics and contribute to the expanding knowledge base that helps humanity strengthen its defenses against global health threats. By elucidating the enigmas of pandemics, the study hopes to foster a more resilient and prepared global health environment. Highlighting the importance of a multidisciplinary, cross-disciplinary, and transdisciplinary approach, this exploration emphasizes the critical need to integrate biological, socioeconomic, environmental, and technological domains to develop more robust defenses against these global health challenges.
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Public health agencies (PHAs) have increasingly incorporated social media into their communication mix during successive pandemics in the 21st century. However, the quality, timing, and accuracy of their health messages have varied significantly, resulting in mixed outcomes for communication, audience engagement, and pandemic management. This study aimed to identify factors influencing the effectiveness of pandemic-related health messages shared by PHAs on social media and to report their impact on public engagement as documented in the literature. A scoping literature review was conducted following a predefined protocol. An electronic search of 7 relevant databases and 5 grey literature repositories yielded 9,714 papers published between January 2003 and November 2022. Seventy-three papers were deemed eligible and selected for review. The results underscored the insufficiency of social media guidance policies for PHAs. Six themes were identified: message source, message topic, message style, message timing, content credibility and reliability, and message recipient profile. These themes encompassed 20 variables that could inform PHAs’ social media public health communication during pandemics. Additionally, the findings revealed potential interconnectedness among the variables, and this study concluded by proposing a conceptual model that expands upon existing theoretical foundations for developing and evaluating pandemic-related health messaging.
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