Excess Deaths in Malatya in the COVID-19 Pandemic

In our study, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Malatya province, other than confirmed case deaths, were investigated. The records of those who died between 2016 and 2020 were reviewed on the official website of the Malatya Metropolitan Municipality, and the numbers of deaths in those 5 years were recorded on a weekly basis. The arithmetic mean of the deaths between 2016 and 2019 was calculated, and it was investigated whether the number of deaths in 2020 was more than expected. In 2020, 1743 (61%) excess deaths were detected. While the mean number of deaths reported 4 years before 2020 was 2860, it was determined that the number of deaths in 2020 was 4603, and there were 1743 (61%) excess deaths. The deaths occurred in Malatya during the COVID-19 pandemic were more than expected. It has been supposed that some deaths were of polymerase chain reaction negative and hence unrecorded COVID-19 patients' deaths, and some deaths were caused by other indirect effects of the pandemic.