Excess Deaths in Malatya in the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVE: In our study, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Malatya province, other than confirmed case deaths, were investigated. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The records of those who died between 2016 and 2020 were reviewed on the official website of the Malatya Metropolitan Municipality, and the numbers of deaths in those 5 years were recorded on a weekly basis. The arithmetic mean of the deaths between 2016 and 2019 was calculated, and it was investigated whether the number of deaths in 2020 was more than expected. RESULTS: In 2020, 1743 (61%) excess deaths were detected. While the mean number of deaths reported 4 years before 2020 was 2860, it was determined that the number of deaths in 2020 was 4603, and there were 1743 (61%) excess deaths. CONCLUSION: The deaths occurred in Malatya during the COVID-19 pandemic were more than expected. It has been supposed that some deaths were of polymerase chain reaction negative and hence unrecorded COVID-19 patients' deaths, and some deaths were caused by other indirect effects of the pandemic.