EFFECTS OF RESTRICTION MEASURES ON MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY IMPLEMENTED DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN TURKEY: A RESEARCH THROUGH NATIONAL DATA INCLUDING ONE YEAR

Abstract

This research is aimed to determine effects of restriction measures implemented in Turkey during COVID 19 pandemic throughout detecting variations in the “number of cases daily”, “test positivity rate daily”, and “number of death daily” according to different restriction periods. In order to be able to analyze on the basis of cases declared as standard, the periods of restriction measures between November 18, 2020 and November 17, 2021 were included in the research. The data of the Ministry of Health was used as the source. When making statistical assessment for the "number of cases per day" and the "test positivity rate per day", we evaluated each restriction period to cover the first 10 days after the end of this period. When comparing the “daily death numbers”, we evaluated each restriction period to include the daily death numbers for the first 21 days after the end of that period. The highest means were seen for all three parameters examined during “revised local decision-making phase”. These mean are 57,396 for number of cases per day, 18.4 for test positivity rate per day, 351 for number of deaths per day. This period is the only period in which the means for "number of cases" and "number of deaths" are higher than the first period, which is the reference period, and for these parameters, a statistically significant difference is detected with the reference period (p<0.001). There is a decrease in the means for all three parameters examined during “lockdown periods” and after this period that is “gradual normalization period”. Restriction measures have played a role in reducing the mortality and morbidity associated with COVID-19. The increase in the morbidity and mortality during periods when epidemic management is partially decentralized can provide evidence-based data for assessments of the effects of decentralization.

Keywords

• restriction measures
• COVID-19
• Turkey
• decentralisation

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