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Establishing an ad hoc COVID-19 mortality surveillance during the first epidemic wave in Belgium, 1 March to 21 June 2020

Françoise Renard, Aline Scohy, Johan Van Der Heyden (UGent) , Ilse Peeters, Sara Dequeker, Eline Vandael, Nina Van Goethem, Dominique Dubourg, Louise De Viron, Anne Kongs, et al.
(2021) EUROSURVEILLANCE. 26(48).
Author
Organization
Abstract
Background COVID-19-related mortality in Belgium has drawn attention for two reasons: its high level, and a good completeness in reporting of deaths. An ad hoc surveillance was established to register COVID-19 death numbers in hospitals, long-term care facilities (LTCF) and the community. Belgium adopted broad inclusion criteria for the COVID-19 death notifications, also including possible cases, resulting in a robust correlation between COVID-19 and all-cause mortality. Aim To document and assess the COVID-19 mortality surveillance in Belgium. Method We described the content and data flows of the registration and we assessed the situation as of 21 June 2020, 103 days after the first death attributable to COVID-19 in Belgium. We calculated the participation rate, the notification delay, the percentage of error detected, and the results of additional investigations. Results The participation rate was 100% for hospitals and 83% for nursing homes. Of all deaths, 85% were recorded within 2 calendar days: 11% within the same day, 41% after 1 day and 33% after 2 days, with a quicker notification in hospitals than in LTCF. Corrections of detected errors reduced the death toll by 5%. Conclusion Belgium implemented a rather complete surveillance of COVID-19 mortality, on account of a rapid investment of the hospitals and LTCF. LTCF could build on past experience of previous surveys and surveillance activities. The adoption of an extended definition of ‘COVID-19-related deaths’ in a context of limited testing capacity has provided timely information about the severity of the epidemic.
Keywords
Virology, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Epidemiology

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MLA
Renard, Françoise, et al. “Establishing an Ad Hoc COVID-19 Mortality Surveillance during the First Epidemic Wave in Belgium, 1 March to 21 June 2020.” EUROSURVEILLANCE, vol. 26, no. 48, 2021, doi:10.2807/1560-7917.es.2021.26.48.2001402.
APA
Renard, F., Scohy, A., Van Der Heyden, J., Peeters, I., Dequeker, S., Vandael, E., … Bustos Sierra, N. (2021). Establishing an ad hoc COVID-19 mortality surveillance during the first epidemic wave in Belgium, 1 March to 21 June 2020. EUROSURVEILLANCE, 26(48). https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.es.2021.26.48.2001402
Chicago author-date
Renard, Françoise, Aline Scohy, Johan Van Der Heyden, Ilse Peeters, Sara Dequeker, Eline Vandael, Nina Van Goethem, et al. 2021. “Establishing an Ad Hoc COVID-19 Mortality Surveillance during the First Epidemic Wave in Belgium, 1 March to 21 June 2020.” EUROSURVEILLANCE 26 (48). https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.es.2021.26.48.2001402.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
Renard, Françoise, Aline Scohy, Johan Van Der Heyden, Ilse Peeters, Sara Dequeker, Eline Vandael, Nina Van Goethem, Dominique Dubourg, Louise De Viron, Anne Kongs, Naïma Hammami, Brecht Devleesschauwer, André Sasse, Javiera Rebolledo Gonzalez, and Natalia Bustos Sierra. 2021. “Establishing an Ad Hoc COVID-19 Mortality Surveillance during the First Epidemic Wave in Belgium, 1 March to 21 June 2020.” EUROSURVEILLANCE 26 (48). doi:10.2807/1560-7917.es.2021.26.48.2001402.
Vancouver
1.
Renard F, Scohy A, Van Der Heyden J, Peeters I, Dequeker S, Vandael E, et al. Establishing an ad hoc COVID-19 mortality surveillance during the first epidemic wave in Belgium, 1 March to 21 June 2020. EUROSURVEILLANCE. 2021;26(48).
IEEE
[1]
F. Renard et al., “Establishing an ad hoc COVID-19 mortality surveillance during the first epidemic wave in Belgium, 1 March to 21 June 2020,” EUROSURVEILLANCE, vol. 26, no. 48, 2021.
@article{8728698,
  abstract     = {{Background
COVID-19-related mortality in Belgium has drawn attention for two reasons:  its high level, and a good completeness in reporting of deaths. An ad hoc surveillance was established to register COVID-19 death numbers in hospitals, long-term care facilities (LTCF) and the community. Belgium adopted broad inclusion criteria for the COVID-19 death notifications, also including possible cases, resulting in a robust correlation between COVID-19 and all-cause mortality.

Aim
To document and assess the COVID-19 mortality surveillance in Belgium.

Method
We described the content and data flows of the registration and we assessed the situation as of 21 June 2020, 103 days after the first death attributable to COVID-19 in Belgium. We calculated the participation rate, the notification delay, the percentage of error detected, and the results of additional investigations.

Results
The participation rate was 100% for hospitals and 83% for nursing homes. Of all deaths, 85% were recorded within 2 calendar days: 11% within the same day, 41% after 1 day and 33% after 2 days, with a quicker notification in hospitals than in LTCF. Corrections of detected errors reduced the death toll by 5%.

Conclusion
Belgium implemented a rather complete surveillance of COVID-19 mortality, on account of a rapid investment of the hospitals and LTCF. LTCF could build on past experience of previous surveys and surveillance activities. The adoption of an extended definition of ‘COVID-19-related deaths’ in a context of limited testing capacity has provided timely information about the severity of the epidemic.}},
  articleno    = {{2001402}},
  author       = {{Renard, Françoise and Scohy, Aline and Van Der Heyden, Johan and Peeters, Ilse and Dequeker, Sara and Vandael, Eline and Van Goethem, Nina and Dubourg, Dominique and De Viron, Louise and Kongs, Anne and Hammami, Naïma and Devleesschauwer, Brecht and Sasse, André and Rebolledo Gonzalez, Javiera and Bustos Sierra, Natalia}},
  issn         = {{1560-7917}},
  journal      = {{EUROSURVEILLANCE}},
  keywords     = {{Virology,Public Health,Environmental and Occupational Health,Epidemiology}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{48}},
  pages        = {{16}},
  title        = {{Establishing an ad hoc COVID-19 mortality surveillance during the first epidemic wave in Belgium, 1 March to 21 June 2020}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.es.2021.26.48.2001402}},
  volume       = {{26}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}
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