Analysis of causes of early neonatal mortality during covid-19 pandemic in 2020 in Russia

Abstract

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared a COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to compare the causes of and statistics on neonatal mortality in Russia in the years 2020 and 2019 using the Rosstat A-5 forms that aggregate data from perinatal death certificates. In 2020, there was a 7.6% reduction in the absolute number of live births relative to 2019. In 2020, the early neonatal death rate (1.59‰) fell by 4.4% relative to 2019 (1.67‰). But neonatal death rates in the Southern and Far Eastern Federal Districts rose by 20.5% and 6.1%, respectively. Respiratory diseases were the most common cause of early neonatal mortality across Russia (37.3% and 40.2% relative to the total number of neonatal deaths in 2019 and 2020, respectively). Congenital sepsis accounted for 43.6% and 46.6% of neonatal deaths from infectious diseases and for 7.3% and 7.9% of all neonatal deaths reported in 2019 and 2020, respectively. There was an increase in the proportion of respiratory diseases among neonates, including congenital pneumonia and other respiratory conditions, and infections, including congenital sepsis, which reflects the direct and indirect effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women and neonates.