International comparison of deaths before and excess deaths during the COVID pandemic

Abstract

In this article, I present calculations to show that legacies from the past that gener- ally determine the health of the population and are specific to each nation (health services, various aspects of the social and natural environment) are similarly decisive in the international differences in mortality caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of some factors remains unaltered, while others are much stronger in the case of COVID than during “normal” times. Differences in health care spending, air pol- lution, smoking and alcohol consumption, income inequality and trust in the state are especially stronger during the COVID period.