Czechia and Slovakia recorded the highest excess mortality rates in the EU in February

Czechia and Slovakia recorded the highest excess mortality rates in the EU in February
/ Eurostat
By bne IntelliNews April 21, 2021

Czechia and Slovakia reported the highest excess mortality rates in the EU in February. Slovakia's death toll increased by 65% compared to the average level between 2016 and 2019, while Czechia posted a 40% growth in excess mortality, according to Eurostat data

In January both countries posted even worse numbers, Slovakia saw a 73.3% growth in the excess mortality rate and Czechia 52.8%, corresponding to the severe wave of the coronavirus pandemic that hit the two CEE countries.  

In contrast, many EU members show a lower February figure in comparison with average numbers. 

According to the Czech Statistics Office, a total of 13,500 people died in Czechia in February, up by roughly 3,500 people compared to the average numbers between 2015 and 2019. As the Czech health ministry's data showed, more than 4,000 people with confirmed coronavirus infections died in February.

The overall death rate in Slovakia in February was 59% higher than between 2016 and 2020, a record figure, shows the Slovak Statistics Office’s data from last week. The second wave of the coronavirus pandemic has impacted the overall death rate in Slovakia very significantly. 

The situation in both countries seem to be improving and the governments are considering relaxing the restrictions. As of April 20, under 1,300 new positive cases were recorded in Slovakia and slightly above 3,700 cases in Czechia. The total number of deaths from COVID-19 exceeds 28,000 in Czechia and 11,000 in Slovakia.

Data

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