Abstract:
Abstract: More COVID-19 inpatient deaths occurred during the second wave when compared to the
first wave in South Africa in both the public and private sectors. This study describes the characteristics
of 969 COVID-19 inpatient deaths in the public sector of Limpopo Province during the first and
second waves using population-based retrospective design. The results indicate that about 84% of
deaths were aged 50+ years; 53.6% were females; 43% occurred in Capricorn district; 56% occurred
in PUI wards; 64% had hypertension followed by diabetes mellitus; 88% manifested with shortness
of breaths/respiratory distress on admission. The study concludes that as the average age among
the population aged 60+ was greater among females than males, the increased death among females
compared to males might be influenced by the older age of female inpatients during the first and second
waves in Limpopo Province. Some COVID-19 inpatient deaths are possibly preventable if older
women may be taken into consideration when planning prevention and management interventions
in future pandemics.
