key: cord-0787657-p8vdkljy authors: Yi-Tung Chen, Enoch; Sachs, Michael C.; Dickman, Paul W. title: No evidence of substantial underreporting of COVID-19 deaths in Taiwan during 2020 date: 2021-03-24 journal: J Formos Med Assoc DOI: 10.1016/j.jfma.2021.03.018 sha: e3f93d9e2f395894592cad0fc9d3c759e6447b91 doc_id: 787657 cord_uid: p8vdkljy nan In conclusion, our results suggest there is no evidence of considerable underreporting of deaths due to COVID-19 in Taiwan, January 2020-January 2021. The Taiwanese government implemented several approaches in response to COVID-19, including the widespread use of masks, social distancing, tracing close contacts of confirmed cases, and 14-day quarantine for people travelling to Taiwan. These measures can be expected to reduce deaths due to causes other than COVID-19, for example, lower mortality rates due to pneumonia and influenza in 2020 4 . New Zealand also observed lower all-cause mortality during 2020, which was attributed to stringent disease prevention strategies and an absence of influenza epidemic 5 . It is important to continue monitoring monthly/weekly excess and cause-specific mortality as the COVID-19 pandemic progresses. Taiwan Centers for Disease Control. Press Releases on