[Impact of COVID-19 on home mortality in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: temporal and spatial analysis, 2010 to 2020].

This study aimed to analyze the temporal and spatial distribution of home mortality in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, before and during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is an ecological study of residents aged 15 or older, developed in two stages: (i) Time-series analysis on mortality rates according to place of occurrence; home mortality rates (HMR) according to underlying cause, age, and sex; and the proportion of home deaths by race/color and educational level from 2010 to 2020, and; (ii) Spatial analysis to observe the spatiotemporal variation of home deaths from 2010 to 2020 by Administrative Region (AR). Data from the Brazilian Mortality Information System, population estimates and the Social Progress Index (SPI) were used, all of which are publicly available and anonymized. Between 2019 and 2020, home deaths increased by 25.5%, mainly due to infectious and parasitic diseases, mental disorders, and ill-defined causes. HMR increased in all age groups except 15-19 years, with a higher proportion of home deaths among black individuals and in those with up to three years of education. Two clusters were detected: the primary (2016-2020) showed the highest HMR in ARs with high SPI, while the secondary (2020) had the highest HMR in ARs with lower SPI. Excess mortality was observed in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in municipality of Rio de Janeiro. Changes in the profile and causes of home deaths, along with the rise of HRM in AR with lower SPI, suggest an increase in home mortality among socially vulnerable populations during the pandemic.