The impact of the coronavirus pandemic in Mexico has caused a loss of at least 2.5 and 3.6 years of life expectancy for women and men, respectively.
This is part of an article recently published in the academic journal Canadian Studies in Population entitled “Heterogeneity in excess mortality and its impact on the loss of life expectancy due to Covid-19: evidence from Mexico”, and in the which measures the probability of survival of Mexicans in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
The study carried out by Víctor Manuel García, professor-researcher at El Colegio de México (Colmex) and Hirám Beltrán Sánchez, associate professor at UCLA (University of California), shows that during 2020, for example, for men, in the great Most states (23 out of 32) lost more than 3 years of life expectancy due to Covid-19. In contrast, for women, in less than a quarter of the states (7 of 32 states) they have lost more than 3 years.
Likewise, it was highlighted that the losses in life expectancy are concentrated in some states of the Northwest, Central and Southeast regions, particularly in the Yucatan Peninsula.
The report noted that men between the ages of 60 and 70 are more likely to die from the virus; while in women the range goes from 65 to 75 years; except in Oaxaca and Chiapas, where the highest risk is registered at younger ages.
In 75% of the states, women had the greatest loss of life expectancy at an earlier age than men.
CDMX and BC, the most affected
In the case of the states most affected by the pandemic, it is noted that for Mexico City it is shown that the loss of life expectancy associated with Covid-19 is approximately 3.5 and 6 years, for women and men, respectively. For the capital, life expectancy, without considering the epidemic, for men was 73.6 years and for women it was 79.5, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi).
For Baja California, there is a loss of 4 and 5 years for women and men, respectively. In this state, the expectation for males was 73 years and for females it was 79.2.
“According to data from the Mexican Population Council, it took Mexico City around 12 years to increase its life expectancy by approximately 3.5 years (from 69.5 to 73 in 2006) and it took Baja California 16 years to increase its life expectancy by 4.5 years.
“This increase in life expectancy was largely eliminated by the impact of Covid-19 in a very short period of time. In addition, the sensitivity analysis suggests that the impact of COVID-19 on life expectancy at birth is likely to be much greater in the Mexican population ”, was reflected in the analysis.
Víctor Manuel García, one of the creators of the study, told El Economista that it is important to note that, although measuring life expectancy does not mean that these decreases are definitive, they do show how severe the disease in question is. deaths.
Regarding the results, the expert indicated that in the case of entities such as Oaxaca and Chiapas, there was a lesser impact because they are dispersed populations and thanks to the fact that the communities took charge of staying isolated.
While in the states of the northern border, the center and the Yucatan peninsula, the most affected, there is a broad exchange of goods and services that makes containment more complicated.
Likewise, García highlighted that in the case of Mexico City, life expectancy after the pandemic was at similar figures to those of the state of Guerrero before the pandemic.
They foresee improvements
Manuel García explained that it is expected that in the coming years there will be an increase in life expectancy when Covid-19 becomes an endemic disease. However, he explained that it cannot be determined how much the increase will be, because Mexico comes from an epidemic of violence, where life expectancy had stagnated over the years.
“Between 2005 and 2015, in the case of men, 2.5 years of life expectancy were lost in 10 years. And only in 2020 due to pandemic issues 3.6 years were lost. Let’s say that the pandemic has equaled 1.5 times a war on drug trafficking, in one year.
“Something that we continue to suffer in Mexico is the epidemic of violence and related homicides, which goes against any other health improvement policy that may exist at the local and federal level,” he stressed.
Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx