New Study Shows Death Rates From Heart Disease, Strokes Increased During First Year of COVID-19 Pandemic 🇺🇸📝@COVID19Up: During the first year of the pandemic, death rates for heart disease and strokes increased, with researchers noting racial disparities between mortality rates, a new study published on Wednesday (March 23) found. A study published in the JAMA Network Open journal found that the overall mortality rate increased close to 16% between 2019 and 2020, which the researchers attributed mostly to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, researchers noted that rates of heart disease and stroke also ticked upward in that time frame, at 4.3% and 6.4%, respectively. “The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with conditions that likely contributed to risk-associated increased HD and stroke mortality,” the study said. “These conditions included periods of overcrowding of hospitals with patients who had COVID-19, resulting in fewer hospitalizations for acute cardiovascular problems, fewer visits for medical care, poorer…