MMWR News Synopsis

Articles

State-Level Economic Costs of Opioid Use Disorder and Fatal Opioid Overdose — United States, 2017

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The opioid overdose epidemic had an enormous economic impact on the United States during 2017. Individual states differed substantially in overall and per capita economic cost. Per capita combined costs of opioid use disorder and fatal opioid overdose were highest in states in the Ohio Valley and New England regions. Knowing the magnitude and distribution of the economic cost of the opioid overdose epidemic can help guide public policy, clinical practice, research, and prevention and response activities. CDC used national-level cost estimates to estimate the state-level economic cost of opioid use disorder and fatal opioid overdose during 2017. The combined costs of opioid use disorder and fatal opioid overdoses varied substantially among the 38 states examined. The range was $985 million in Wyoming to $72.6 billion in Ohio. The costs were computed by state for spending on health care, opioid use disorder treatment, criminal justice, and lost work productivity, as well as estimates of cost for lost quality of life and lives lost.

Progress in Immunization Safety Monitoring — Worldwide, 2010-2019

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Vaccine safety monitoring helps maintain public confidence in immunization programs. While there was much progress at the global level between 2010 and2019, targets for minimum vaccine safety monitoring capacity have not been consistently met across the World Health Organization (WHO) regions. This report highlights the importance of monitoring the safety of vaccination to maintain public confidence in national immunization programs. There has been much progress toward achieving minimum vaccine safety monitoring capacity [reporting more than 10 Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) per 100,000 surviving infants] at the global level from 2010 through 2019. Still, this target has not been consistently met across all WHO regions. There are multiple barriers to reaching this target including the lack of AEFI reporting tools, poor understanding of AEFI, weak or poorly coordinated reporting systems, and healthcare workers’ fear of punishment. Countries that perform consistently well in meeting vaccine safety monitoring capacity have demonstrated national commitment and allocated resources to address these barriers.

Update: COVID-19 Pandemic–Associated Changes in Emergency Department Visits — United States, December 2020–January 2021

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Emergency department (ED) visits during December 2020–January 2021 were 25% lower than during the same time a year before. Higher proportions of ED patients are seeking care for mental and behavioral health-related concerns, especially pediatric patients. Efforts to ensure public understanding of the importance of seeking guidance and emergency care for acute and mental or behavioral health conditions are necessary. To assess the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on emergency departments (EDs), CDC examined trends in U.S. ED visits since December 30, 2018, and compared the numbers and types of ED visits by patient demographic and geographic factors during a recent COVID-19 pandemic period (December 20, 2020–January 16, 2021) with a period one year earlier (December 15, 2019–January 11, 2020). After an initial decline during March–April 2020, ED visits increased through July 2020 and then stabilized. However, these levels were still below those before the pandemic. The report also found that a larger proportion of ED patients are seeking care for mental and behavioral health-related concerns, especially pediatric patients. As the nation continues to manage the effects of the ongoing pandemic, it is critical that people understand the importance of seeking guidance and emergency care, whether for acute conditions or for mental or behavioral health conditions. Wider access to health messages, triage help lines, and virtual visits that help all people, especially caregivers of children and adolescents can help determine when seeking immediate care might be warranted and might also result in fewer patients seeking ED care.

Factors Associated with Participation in Elementary School–Based SARS-CoV-2 Testing — Salt Lake County, Utah, December 2020–January 2021 (Early Release April 7, 2021)

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Trends in Racial and Ethnic Disparities in COVID-19 Hospitalizations, by Region — United States, March–December 2020 (Early Release April 12, 2021)

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Emergency Department Visits for COVID-19 by Race and Ethnicity — 13 States, October–December 2020 (Early Release April 12, 2021)

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• Update on Excess Deaths Associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, January 26, 2020–February 27, 2021

Updated estimates show that during late January 2020 through late February 2021, there were over half a million more deaths than expected (i.e., excess deaths), including deaths that are both directly and indirectly associated with COVID-19. These data suggest that the overall impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on deaths is substantially greater than the number of reported COVID-19 deaths. Data from the National Vital Statistics System showed that from January 26, 2020 through February 27, 2021, an estimated 545,600-660,200 more people died than expected in the United States. These deaths peaked in the weeks ending April 11, 2020; August 1, 2020; and January 2, 2021. About 75%–88% of these deaths were directly associated with COVID-19. Excluding deaths directly associated with COVID-19, an estimated 63,700–162,400 more people than expected died from other causes. Estimates of how many more deaths have occurred than expected provide insight on the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had beyond tracking the numbers of deaths directly associated with COVID-19. Reported COVID-19 deaths might be limited by factors such as the availability and use of testing and the accurate and complete reporting of cause-of-death information on the death certificate.

• COVID-19 and Influenza Discharge Diagnoses as a Percentage of Emergency Department (ED) Visits, by Year — United States, June 2018–March 2021

While influenza activity generally begins in October and occurs throughout the winter months, ED visits for influenza accounted for less than 0.1% of all visits during June 2020─March 2021. By early July 2020, 3% of all emergency department (ED) visits were for COVID-19, before declining through August 2020. This was followed by a larger and more prolonged increase beginning in September 2020 and reaching a peak in early January (7% of all ED visits).

• Age-Adjusted Percentage of Adults Aged 25–64 Years Who Are Very Worried About Their Ability to Pay Medical Bills if They Get Sick or Have an Accident, by Sex and Veteran Status — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2019

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CDC works 24/7 protecting America’s health, safety and security. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are curable or preventable, chronic or acute, or from human activity or deliberate attack, CDC responds to America’s most pressing health threats. CDC is headquartered in Atlanta and has experts located throughout the United States and the world.