Understanding the Shift in Drowning Patterns During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on people’s livelihoods, prompting studies to assess its impact on unintentional injury. The study aims to assess trends in fatal and non-fatal drownings and to compare events during the COVID-19 pandemic with events in the past two years (2018 and 2019) in the South Caspian  Sea.  

Using an autoregressive moving average (ARMA) model and a chi-squared test, the study compared changes in drowning cases—both fatal and non-fatal— during the pandemic (2020 and 2021) to two years prior (2018-2019).  

During the pandemic, the number of drowning cases decreased by 10.7% when compared to the pre-pandemic period. Before the pandemic, drowning rates were high, but they marginally decreased throughout it. But since then, they have recovered. There was a significant change in the mean age of victims, which was 34.5 years in pre-COVID-19 period versus 30.9 years in COVID-19 period. The annual trends show that the number of male and female drowning cases increased before the introduction of COVID-19 in 2019 and decreased in 2020.  

The authors propose the implementation of lifeguards and rescue services in high-risk regions for drowning as a solution to this issue. They also suggest making life jackets and vests available for aquatic activities even during the epidemic, enforcing required first aid training for pool owners and rural health professionals. These findings can assist policymakers in low- and middle-income nations prepare for future pandemics and increase public awareness.