COVID-19 among top causes of death in PH from Jan-Oct 2021

FILE PHOTO: Colorized scanning electron micrograph of an apoptotic cell (greenish brown) heavily infected with SARS-COV-2 virus particles (pink), also known as novel coronavirus, isolated from a patient sample. Image captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH/Handout via REUTERS.

MANILA, Philippines — COVID-19 was among the leading causes of death in the Philippines during the first 10 months of 2021, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported Monday.

According to the PSA, some 51,514 people died of the severe respiratory illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus from January-October last year – the third leading cause of death after ischemic heart diseases and cerebrovascular diseases.

“Deaths due to COVID-19 virus identified were now the third leading cause which accounted for 51,514 deaths (8.5% share), rising from rank 15 with 7,357 deaths (1.4% share) in the same period of 2020,” the PSA said in its report.

It also said there were 110,332 deaths due to ischaemic heart disease during the first 10 months of 2021, making it the top cause of death in the country last year. The figure increased by 28.0 percent from the 86,164 recorded during the same period in 2020.

Meanwhile, 58,880 deaths from January-October 2021 were due to cerebrovascular diseases. Thus, it is the second leading cause of death in the country last year.

Cancer, on the other hand, was in fourth place – behind COVID-19 – with 498,9437 deaths from January to October 2021.

Also included in the top 10 causes of death during the 10-month period are:

• Diabetes mellitus
• Hypertensive diseases
• Pneumonia
• COVID-19 virus not identified
• Other heart diseases
• Chronic lower respiratory diseases

The PSA said there were  23,771 deaths due to COVID-19 with virus not identified from January to October 2021.

“Among the 17 regions, the National Capital Region (NCR) registered the highest number of deaths due to COVID-19 with 18,044 or 24.0 percent of the total COVID-19 deaths from January to October 2021,” the PSA also said.

“In NCR, Quezon City reported the highest number of deaths due to COVID-19, with 3,955 deaths or 21.9 percent of the total COVID-19 deaths in the region from January to October 2021,” it added.

KGA