Excess Mortality Data Analysis of COVID-19 Infections and Fatalities in Ecuador

Abstract

The global COVID-19 pandemic has shocked the world. Since the virus gave rise to health problems and often ended in deaths, the count of the contagion and the deceased has been an open issue. Such statistics are vital for every nation and even every city or district and suburb as these numbers decide the level of intervention and the subsequent reduction of its given spread. Worldwide data show a mortality rate of around two percent prior to successful vaccination campaigns. However, Ecuador's statistical data indicate an abnormal amount of excess mortality, which is officially denied in each of the studied countries. These numbers have been projected on a monthly basis and exceed up to 300% of the official COVID-19 deaths. In particular, the average mortality rate in Ecuador, prior to and close to the pandemic, has been about 6083.4±234.6, while in the worst month during the sanitary crisis, deaths piled up to 21,000 people, and only 1180 were recognized as deceased by COVID-19. The reasons are widespread but based on an insufficient financed health sector, political incompetence, lack of leadership, and a long-lasting economic crisis. Therefore, premature endings of confinements or lockdowns have contributed to an accelerated contagion and seem to even counteract the vaccination phase, in middle 2021, shortly before excess mortality ceased completely.

Determination of Empirical Environmental Indices for the Location of Cemeteries—An Innovative Proposal for Worldwide Use

“…Thus, due to the contamination of the environmental matrices of water, air, soil, and biota generated by the release of leachates formed by the decomposition of the corpses [8,16], the materials and chemicals released into the environment [27], and the poor management of this type of waste [27], it is proposed to define, through environmental empirical indices, the most adequate preliminary conditions for the location of final disposal sites in the management of human corpses. The results will constitute an important starting point for updating public policies, standards, and procedures for the treatment of this type of waste, may be used by governments in the inclusion of their land use plans, and will contribute to saving technological and economic resources, as well as time and personnel, which will allow researchers to obtain easily accessible bibliographic data to generate an initial analysis of a site that will be intervened [52].…”

“…The results obtained for the three cemeteries are indicated in Table 4. Continuing with the validation of the method, we worked with eight and six variables, using the criteria established in Table 3 and Equations ( 6) and (8), respectively. The results obtained are listed in Tables 5 and 6.…”

“…Worldwide, there is a large number of cemeteries that are located in different areas, without knowing the potential environmental impact on ecosystems or the social impact they can cause [1][2][3][4]. According to data from Worldometer, 2022 [5], there are 7.9 billion people, a population that, when completing the life cycle, has to be disposed of in a suitable place or environment [6][7][8][9].…”