HomeMy WebLinkAboutmortality-report-faqs-2024-03-14Mortality in the COVID-19 Era — FAQ Page 1 of 3
Mortality in the COVID-19 Era
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created this report? Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) Community
Assessment, Planning, and Evaluation (CAPE).
How often is this report released? This is a one-time report on changes in mortality during the
first two calendar years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
What time period(s) does this report cover? The report compares mortality in 2020-2021 to
mortality in 2018-2019.
Why is this report being released? Understanding how mortality changed in 2020-2021 can
inform health and social policy decisions and the allocation of resources to populations dis-
proportionately affected by high mortality. The report also helps us understand which popula-
tions are most affected by disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
What were changes in life expectancy for residents in Alameda County between 2018-2019
and 2020-2021? In 2018-2019, the life expectancy at birth was 82.8 years for Alameda County
residents. In 2021, it was 81.5 years, a loss of 1.3 years.
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How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect Alameda County’s mortality rate? The mortality rate
increased from 561.5 to 614.8 per 100,000 people (a 9.5% increase). COVID-19 directly ac-
counted for 72.7% of the increase in mortality and 6.3% of all-cause mortality in 2020-2021.
How did racial and ethnic disparities in mortality change between 2018-2019 and 2020-
2021? Already large racial and ethnic disparities in life expectancy grew worse during the first
two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The gap in life expectancy by race and ethnicity in Ala-
meda County grew from 13.2 years in 2018-2019 to 15.9 years in 2020-2021. Declines in life
expectancy ranged from 0.7 years for Asian people and 0.8 years among White people to 2.5
years for Hispanic/Latino/a/x people, 3.1 years for African American/Black people, 3.7 years for
Native American people, and 4.3 years for Pacific Islander people in Alameda County.
How was poverty associated with mortality rates in Alameda County between 2018 and
2021? The gap in life expectancy between the highest poverty and lowest poverty neighbor-
hoods increased from 5.6 years in 2018-2019 to 8.8 years in 2020-2021. Among people living
in neighborhoods with high poverty (30% or more people living in poverty), life expectancy
declined by 4.0 years, from 79.3 to 75.3 years. This was more than five times the decline of 0.7
years – from 84.8 years to 84.1 years – in the neighborhoods with low poverty (with less than
5% of people living in poverty).
What were the leading causes of injury mortality in Alameda County between 2020 and
2021? The leading causes of injury mortality in 2020-2021 were unintentional overdose, sui-
cide, and motor vehicle crashes. Poverty was highly correlated with homicide and unintention-
al overdose. Rates of homicide mortality were 11.6 times higher in neighborhoods with high
poverty rates (30% or more people living in poverty) than in neighborhoods with low poverty
rates (<5% of people living in poverty). Rates of unintentional overdose mortality were
5.0 times higher in neighborhoods with high poverty rates than in neighborhoods with low
poverty rates.
What were the leading causes of death due to chronic diseases in Alameda County in 2020-
2021? In 2020-2021, four of the five leading causes of mortality were chronic diseases. The
leading causes were (1) cancer, (2) heart disease, (3) stroke, (4) COVID-19, and (5) Alzheimer’s
disease. Cancer, heart disease, and stroke mortality rates declined in Alameda County between
2005 and 2021. Mortality rates due to cancer and heart disease were lower in Alameda County
than in California and the United States.
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How did mortality in Alameda County compare to the United States and California? The
age-adjusted mortality rate for all causes in Alameda County was lower than those of California
and the United States in 2020-2021. At the same time, only a subset of the Alameda County
population benefits from lower mortality rates. African American/Black and Pacific Islander
people in Alameda County had a higher mortality rate than people of the same race and eth-
nicity in California and the United States. Native American people have higher mortality rela-
tive to all races in Alameda County, California, and the United States.
How did COVID-19 mortality in Alameda County compare to COVID-19 mortality in the Unit-
ed States and California? Alameda County’s age-adjusted COVID-19 mortality rate was 41%
that of the United States and 46% that of California in 2020-2021. COVID-19 mortality was low-
er in Alameda County than in California and the United States for each race and ethnicity.
Why was severe maternal morbidity included in this report rather than maternal mortali-
ty? There are large racial and ethnic disparities in maternal mortality in the United States, but
maternal mortality is a relatively rare event. Instead, the related maternal morbidity was used
as an indicator of risk for maternal mortality. There are large disparities in severe maternal
morbidity, with African American/Black mothers having a rate of severe maternal morbidity 1.5
times that of the general population in 2020-2021.
What is the Alameda County Public Health Department doing to address inequitable mortal-
ity rates in the county? There are many policies and programs promoted or implemented by
the Public Health Department that are designed to reduce structural inequities, which in turn
may improve health and reduce disparities. Policies and programs to address specific causes of
premature deaths from gun violence, unintentional overdose, motor vehicle traffic fatalities,
and chronic disease may help reduce mortality and inequities. Structural approaches include
improving economic stability and housing security, as well as reducing racial and ethnic wealth
gaps.
Where can I find additional information? https://acphd.org/data-reports/