An undeniable excess mortality linked to the coronavirus epidemic. According to data released this Friday by INSEE, between March 1 and May 4, France recorded an excess mortality of 22% compared to the same period of 2019. This indicator, revised every week, is down, confirming the recession of the coronavirus epidemic, also announced the organization.
This excess mortality was calculated by comparing the number of cumulative deaths - all causes combined - recorded by the civil status services over the weeks indicated, compared to the same weeks of 2019.
Up to 27% more deaths
Over the period from March 1 to April 6, the year-over-year difference was 19.7%. This indicator then rose to 25% by adding an additional week of comparison (until April 13), then to 27% counting the week until April 20. It is now down to 22%, adding another two weeks of comparison, over a period from March 1 to May 4, says the National Institute of Statistics.
The number of daily deaths reached a peak on April 1 with 2,780 deaths recorded that day (compared to an average of 1,790 per day over the first half of March 2020), but fell to 1,740 per day between April 16 and 4 may.
Fewer youth deaths
Logically, the rise in deaths is more marked in the regions where the epidemic is most virulent (+ 83% in Ile-de-France, + 49% in the Grand-Est), as well as in the the highest age group, who are also the most vulnerable to covid-19. Deaths in the over 85s have increased by 27% in France, and have even more than doubled in Ile-de-France.
Conversely, we deplore 17% fewer deaths among young people under 25, "probably" because the accidents were fewer during confinement, notes INSEE.