Filenews 16 September 2021 - by Nicoletta Kouroushi
Many more deaths occurred in Cyprus in July this year, compared to the rest of the European countries, with the excess mortality rate in Cyprus at +26%, recording the highest rate of the EU countries, while the European average is +4.4%.
Figures published by Eurostat show that although the number of deaths in the European Union is still above the average of previous years, as in July of this year around 4% more deaths were recorded than in the same period of all the years before the coronavirus pandemic, there was nevertheless a drop compared to June and May. In particular, in July 2021, excessive mortality in the EU fell further to 4.4%, the lowest rate since July 2020 (+2.8%).
Excessive mortality continues to vary in the EU Member States: From around -3% in Belgium and - 2.5% in Sweden to +25% in Greece and +26% in Cyprus in July 2021.
After peaking in April 2021 (+20%) and after +40% in November 2020 (compared to the averages of the same months 2016 – 2019) excessive mortality in the EU has been decreasing since May 2021.
In 2020, the EU experienced two cycles of excessive mortality: the first between March and May 2020 (with a peak of +25% in April), then a larger one between August 2020 and the end of the year (peaking +40% in November).
It is noted that excessive mortality refers to the number of deaths from all causes, measured during a crisis, above what could be observed in "normal" conditions. According to Eurostat, the excess mortality rate draws attention to the magnitude of the health crisis, providing a comprehensive comparison of additional deaths among European countries and allowing for further analysis of its causes.
The assessment does not show how many people actually died as a result of coronavirus infection, and the data do not differentiate the causes of death, as well as the ratio of gender and age.
