Trends of Potential Years of Life Lost in Pavia Province (Italy) in the Period 2015-2021: The Impact of COVID-19

Abstract

The World Health Organization has declared the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, a pandemic from 2020 to 2023, causing more than 6.8 million deaths worldwide (updated March 2023). In record time, an anti-COVID-19 vaccine was created and large-scale mandatory vaccination was carried out. In Italy the first anti-COVID-19 vaccination started at the end of 2020. The work aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 on premature mortality in Pavia Province (Italy) with about 500,000 people in 2 different time points, during the pandemic without vaccination and with mandatory vaccination, in relation to the pre-pandemic period using Potential Years of Life Lost (PYLL). PYLL is a tool used to evaluate the effect of a specific disease on mortality for all causes. PYLLs were calculated for the 3 upper age limits (UAL): 70, 80, 90 years. The PYLL indicators showed the highest level of years of life lost in 2020, the period associated with the COVID-19 pandemic without vaccination and only other protective/preventive measures. The PYLLs decrease in 2021 to the pre-COVID-19 level may be associated with the introduction of mandatory vaccination. Keywords: PYLL, UAL, COVID-19, pandemic, Northern Italy