Over 3,7 million COVID19 infections have been reported in South Africa since March 2020. There have been close to 100,000 reported deaths and over 302,000 excess natural deaths from May 2020, of which the majority is likely attributable to COVID19 . The loss of life has been accompanied by strain on the healthcare system, adverse socio-economic effects, psychological distress and serious economic regression.

Discovery Health is the largest administrator of medical schemes in South Africa With 19 medical schemes and just over 3.5 million lives under administration, Discovery Health has recorded just over 585,00 COVID19 cases to date. Discovery Health has used its large multi-faceted data to assess variations in clinical outcomes and the direct financial impact of the pandemic on our members and the healthcare system.

This presentation will cover the spectrum of analytics and initiatives undertaken to support the evolving needs of our members and national strategic objectives over the course of the pandemic thus far. It will highlight the power of analytics in optimising outcomes and protecting the lives of our members. We will share detailed insights on: the variation of admission and mortality outcomes of COVID19 members among different cohorts and across the waves of the pandemic, our COVID19 resilience index and the vaccine roll out, vaccine effectiveness and safety assessments.

Furthermore, unprecedented claiming patterns and changes in non-COVID19 health-seeking behaviour has resulted in a large degree of uncertainty of future utilisation levels and budgetary requirements of medical schemes. We will focus on cases of loss, substitution and delay in non-COVID19 health seeking behavior due to the COVID19 pandemic and this potential impact on members. We will share our analytical approach to understanding both the direct and indirect long-term impacts of COVID 19 on our members and schemes as well as our analysis of long-Covid impacts.

Find the Q&A here: Q&A on 'Measuring Health Outcomes'