Regional analysis of COVID-19 mortality in Serbia

Marinković, Ivan (2021) Regional analysis of COVID-19 mortality in Serbia. Demografija (18). pp. 39-55. ISSN 1820-4244 eISSN 2560-5011

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Abstract

The pandemic generated by the SARS-CoV-2 virus should be viewed as a severe public health threat because, in the first ten months of its existence, over 3 million people perished worldwide. According to available data, mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic is markedly different across countries but also within them. In the analysis of the consequences of the mortality pandemic in Serbia in 2020, the final data of vital statistics published by the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia were used. The results of the research are presented at all territorial statistical-administrative levels (except the settlement level). The research showed that the highest intensity of deaths due to the new disease is in the south of the country and larger city centers (Belgrade, Nis, Kragujevac). Vojvodina and the districts and municipalities that belong to it have the most favorable values in Serbia. The quality of mortality data by cause of death varies considerably at different statistical-administrative levels, primarily with the underreporting of COVID-19 as the primary cause of death. As a more reliable indicator of the impact of the pandemic on the total mortality of the population, excess mortality indicates a record-high increase in mortality in 2020 in Presevo, Sjenica, and Novi Pazar. The difference between the northern part of Serbia and the southern part in mortality due to COVID-19 is potentially based on more intergenerational contacts and more pronounced population migrations, so it can be stated that the rate of transmission is a more important determinant of mortality in the population of different parts of Serbia, than the level of available health care or age structure.

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