The National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) at the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) collects and publishes annual mortality statistics using knowledge of US death certificates. Due to the time required to investigate some causes of death and to process and review death data, the final annual mortality data for a given year is regularly published 11 months after the end of the calfinishar year. The provisional knowledge, which is based on the existing flow of knowledge from the death certificate to the NCHS, provides an initial estimate of deaths, before the final knowledge is released. NVSS publishes interim information on mortality from all causes of death and deaths related to COVID-19. * This report is a review of interim information on mortality in the US for 2022, and adds a comparison with death rates from 2021. In 2022, there were approximately 3,273,705 deaths† in the United States. The estimated age-adjusted death rate for 2022 decreased by 5. 3%, from 879. 7 compared to another 100,000 people in 2021 to 832. 8. COVID-19 was reported as an underlying or contributing cause in approximately 244,986 (7. 5%) of those deaths (61. 3 deaths consistent with 100,000). The highest overall death rates by age, race and ethnicity, and sex occurred among the elderly ≥85 years, non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN), non-Hispanic Black, or African American (Black) and the men . In 2022, the 4 most sensitive causes of death were heart disease, cancer, unintentional trauma, and COVID-19. Provisional estimates of deaths provide an early indication of changes in mortality outcomes and can refer to public health policies and interventions aimed at reducing mortality, adding deaths directly or indirectly related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
NCHS analyzed initial knowledge of the NVSS death certificate for deaths that occurred among US citizens in the United States between January and December 2022. Deaths among citizens of US territories and foreign countries were excluded. The number and rates of overall deaths and COVID-19-related deaths were compiled by age, sex, race, and ethnicity (classified as AI/AN, non-Hispanic Asian [Asian], black, non-Hispanic Hawaiian, or other Pacific). Islander, Non-Hispanic White [White], Other Non-Hispanic Persons of More Than One Race [Multiracial], Unknown, or Hispanic or Latino [Hispanic]). The NCHS has coded the reasons for death according to the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, which primarily notes the classification of diseases and the designation of the underlying cause of death. [1,2] The number and rates of COVID-19-related deaths are presented with deaths for which COVID-19 was indexed on the death certificate as the underlying or contributing cause of death. § COVID- 19 was the underlying cause of approximately 76% (186,702) of COVID-19-related deaths in 2022. [3] The main reasons for death were ranked according to the number of underlying reasons for death. [4] The age of 101 (<0. 01%) decedents and the race and ethnic origin of 10,086 (0. 31%) were unknown. Trends in deaths during the year were taken into account by calculating the number of deaths per week from all causes and from COVID-19. Age-adjusted mortality rates were calculated for all deaths and by gender, race, and ethnicity. Crude mortality rates were calculated by age. Population knowledge used to calculate death rates are estimates as of July 1, 2021 based on pooled base produced through the US Census Bureau [5,6] Unless otherwise noted Similarly, rate comparisons in the text are statistically significant (p < 0. 05).
Figure 1.
Interim COVID-19†-related deaths* and other deaths and COVID-19-related deaths, through the week of death: National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2022 *Provisional knowledge of the National Vital Statistics System for 2022 is complete. Data for December 2022 is less complete due to reporting delays. The 2021 data is final. This knowledge excludes deaths in the United States among citizens of U. S. territories and foreign countries. † Deaths of persons coded according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (code U07. 1), with COVID-19 as the underlying or contributing cause of death.
In 2022, COVID-19 was known as an underlying or contributing cause of 244,986 deaths (61. 3 equivalents to 100,000), a minimum of 47% from 462,193 deaths (115. 6 equivalents to 100,000) in 2021. The COVID-19 death rate dropped to a low from 2021 to 2022 among age groups ≥15, and the highest rate for all age groups <15 years. As with deaths overall, the age-adjusted COVID-19 death rate for men (76. 3) is more consistent than for women (49. 8).
Age-adjusted death rates differed by race and ethnicity and decreased for all teams from 2021 to 2022. Overall age-adjusted death rates were lowest among multiracial (394. 2) and Asian (447. 2) Americans and among blacks (1028. 0) and CEW/year (973. 3) Americans. COVID-19 death rates decreased from 2021 to 2022 for all racial and ethnic teams.
In 2022, the 3 most sensitive causes of death were central disease (699,659 deaths), cancer (607,790), and unintentional injuries (218,064) (Figure 2). ¶ COVID-19, indexed as the underlying cause of 186,702 deaths in 2022, ranked as the fourth leading underlying cause of death. COVID-19, the underlying cause of 5. 7% of all deaths in 2022, up from 12. 0% (416,893 deaths) in 2021. Deaths from heart disease and cancer increased in 2022 compared to 2021 (accounting for 695,547 and 605,213 deaths, respectively), while COVID-19-related deaths decreased.
Figure 2.
Main underlying causes of death*,†— National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2022 *Data are provisional; Provisional data from the National Vital Statistics System are complete and December data are less complete due to reporting delays. EE. UU. se excluded deaths among citizens of U. S. territories. Deaths are classified according to the number of deaths through the basic cause of death†.
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2023;72(18):488-492. © 2023 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
*NVSS interim mortality knowledge can be obtained from CDC’s interim WONDER platform (https://wonder. cdc. gov). NVSS COVID-19 surveillance knowledge should be had online. https://www. cdc. gov/nchs/nvss/deaths. htm †Based on death records obtained and processed as of April 2, 2023, for deaths occurring in the United States among residents of the USA. The information included in this research includes more than 99% of deaths that occurred in 2022. §The underlying cause of death is the disease or injury that started the chain of disease events leading directly to death. ¶In this report, the number of unintentional injury deaths was compiled from the NVSS internal mortality knowledge base and may not be publicly adjusted for interim figures for unintentional injury deaths, as initial knowledge about causes of deaths related to injuries is published late. 6 months from the date of death. This delay explains the additional time typically required to report injury-related death certificates, and the final death count for 2022 is likely to be higher than shown in this report.
Abbreviations: AI/AN = American Indian or Alaska Native; NH = non-Hispanic; NH/OPI = native to Hawaii or other Pacific Islanders. *Provisional knowledge of the National Vital Statistics System for 2022 is incomplete. The data for 2021 are final. This knowledge excludes deaths in the United States among citizens of U. S. territories and foreign countries. †Deaths consistent with a population of 100,000. Age-adjusted mortality rates are provided globally and by sex, race, and ethnicity. death.
Farida B. Ahmad, MPH1, Jodi A. Cisewski, MPH1, Jiaquan Xu, MD1, and Robert N. Anderson, PhD1 1National Center for Health Statistics, CDC.
Correspondent Farida B. Ahmad, fbahmad@cdc. gov.
All authors completed and submitted the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.
What do we already know about this topic?
More than 3. 2 million people died in the United States between January and December 2022.
What does this bring?
The overall age-adjusted death rate in the United States decreased by 5. 3% between 2021 and 2022. Overall COVID-19-related death rates and death rates were among non-Hispanic blacks or African Americans and non-Hispanic Native Americans or Alaska Natives.
What are the implications for public practice?
Preliminary estimates of deaths provide an early sign of adjustments in mortality trends. Timely and actionable knowledge can inform public health policies and interventions for populations experiencing higher mortality.
Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Interim COVID-19†-related deaths* and other deaths and COVID-19-related deaths, through the week of death: National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2022 *Provisional knowledge of the National Vital Statistics System for 2022 is complete. Data for December 2022 is less complete due to reporting delays. The 2021 data is final. This knowledge excludes deaths in the United States among citizens of U. S. territories and foreign countries. † Deaths of persons coded according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (code U07. 1), with COVID-19 as the underlying or contributing cause of death.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Main underlying causes of death*,†— National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2022 *Data are provisional; Provisional data from the National Vital Statistics System are complete and December data are less complete due to reporting delays. EE. UU. se excluded deaths among citizens of U. S. territories. Deaths are classified according to the number of deaths through the basic cause of death†.
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