PSA: COVID-19, 3rd leading cause of death in 2021

COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the country last year following heart and cerebrovascular diseases, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported Tuesday.

Data released by the PSA showed that ischaemic heart diseases were the top cause of death in 2021 with 136,575 or 17.8% of the total deaths. This is also 29.7% higher than the 105,281 deaths in 2020, when they accounted for 17.1%.

Cerebrovascular diseases accounted for 74,262 deaths or 9.7% of the total cases for the year, reflecting a 15.3% climb from 64,381 cases or 10.5% of total deaths in 2020.

Identified COVID-19 deaths came in third with 74,008 deaths in the country or 9.7% of the cases in 2021, up from 9,316 deaths or 1.5% of the total in the previous year.

Non-identified COVID-19 deaths stood at 31,715 or 4.1% of the total, making it the eighth leading cause of death.

Combined COVID-19 deaths — both identified and non-identified — were 105,723 deaths, equivalent to 13.8% of the total registered deaths.

However, data from the Department of Health's Dashboard showed there were only 56,351 COVID-19 deaths, as of March 29.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire earlier explained the discrepancy  is due to the validation process being conducted by DOH.

“Ang atin pong mga number of deaths kapag sinusumite sa ating reporting system, bina-validate po ng Department of Health,” she said.

(The number of deaths submitted in the reporting system is still being validated by the DOH.)

Vergeire reiterated the data from the DOH is the official tally on the death toll due to COVID-19 in the country.

“Because our data is being cleaned, it is being validated, and whatever we report is exactly kung sino man po ‘yung namatay dahil talaga sa COVID at hindi incidental ang finding na COVID siya,” she said.

She added the DOH has been working with the PSA since last year to harmonize the COVID-19 data.

Based on PSA data, the highest number of COVID-19 deaths were recorded in Calabarzon with 21,165 or 20.0%, followed by the National Capital Region with 20,924 or 19.8%, and Central Luzon with 18,828 or 17.8%.

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) had the least number of COVID-19 deaths with 162 cases.

Rounding up the top five leading causes of death for the year were cancer with 59,503 or 7.8%, diabetes mellitus with 48,267.—AOL, GMA News