PHL posts 43.2% jump in deaths in 2021; births decline 10.7%

August 14, 2022

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PHILIPPINE STAR/ KRIZ JOHN ROSALES

REGISTERED deaths rose 43.2% year on year to 879,429 in 2021, the second year of the pandemic, while births declined 10.7% to 1,364,739, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.

Citing preliminary data from its Vital Statistics report, the PSA said deaths were led by Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) with 138,298, or 15.7% of the total, up 45.7% from a year earlier.

The National Capital Region (NCR) recorded 105,178 deaths during the period, up 24.7% from the 2020 total.

Calabarzon also led registered births with 204,333, down 12.2%. Births in the NCR totaled 160,946, down 19.1%.

Registered marriages totaled 356,839 in 2021, up 48.2%, led by Calabarzon with 50,211, up 53%. The NCR logged 41,025 marriages, up 26%.

In a separate report, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was found to be the 15th leading cause of death in the first four months of 2022.

Registered deaths due to COVID-19 totaled 10,226 or 6.5% of all deaths. The leading causes of death during the period were ischaemic heart diseases (29,442), cerebrovascular diseases (16,316), and cancer (14,928).

Deaths associated with COVID-19 are either “virus identified’’ or “not identified” at the time of death.

Some 7,692 deaths associated with COVID were “virus identified,” while those “not identified” totaled 2,534.

The National Capital Region (NCR) posted the largest number of deaths due to COVID-19 during the period with 2,440, followed by Calabarzon with 1,521 and Central Luzon 1,355 deaths (13.3%).

Meanwhile, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao had the lowest number of COVID-19 deaths with 20.

Quezon City was the top city for COVID deaths with 526, followed by the Manila with 396 and Caloocan 242.

According to the PSA, COVID-19 death data were based on the descriptions found in death certificates and certified by health officers of local government units.

These COVID-19 tallies differ from the disease surveillance numbers reported by the Department of Health.

As of Aug. 13, the DoH estimated 60,992 deaths from COVID-19 in the year to date, with active cases at 40,324 and total infections 3.85 million.

The Vital Statistics report was compiled from city or municipal Civil Registrar data, as consolidated by the PSA’s Provincial Statistical Offices, and then submitted to the Office of the Civil Registrar General as of May 31. — Mariedel Irish U. Catilogo