OBJECTIVES: To map the data pertaining to differences in the calculation of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY) for COVID-19 population

METHODS: A literature search was conducted from inception till April 2023 using databases (PubMed, Medline, Embase) and grey literature searches. Data pertaining to differences in the DALY calculation for COVID-19 was collected. A scoping review was carried out following PRISMA-ScR guidelines.

RESULTS: The vast majority of countries, including Ireland, France, India, Germany, Korea, Netherlands, Malta, Australia, Colombia, Denmark, and the United States, have adopted an incident-based strategy, whereas only a small number of countries—Mexico, Iran, and Italy—have adopted a prevalence-based strategy. There are substantial differences in the formulas used to calculate DALY for COVID-19 population in terms of applying disability weight, Global Burden of Disease (GBD) considerations and using temporal discounting technique. Globally, there are differences in the availability of data, healthcare systems, demographics, patterns of disease burden, cultural and contextual factors, differences in policy and health priorities, updates and revisions by authorities, disease-specific factors, and socioeconomic factors based on geography. Despite these challenges, estimating DALY for COVID-19 population can shed light on how the pandemic has impacted global health and guide public health policies and initiatives.

CONCLUSIONS: The calculation of DALY is a key instrument in shaping public health policies, resource allocation, monitoring health outcomes, and lobbying for evidence-based treatments. There is a need for an accurate estimation of disease burden and uniformity in consideration of variables and approaches used in DALY calculation for COVID-19 population.