A lower birth rate and rising death rates are not the results of vaccines, as some conspiracy theorists propound, but because of prudence among couples in producing another child in uncertain conditions like the pandemic. Also, COVID has been cited as the third major cause of death in 2021 by the Philippine Statistics Authority.
THE Population Commission, last December 27, said it expects the country’s population to grow by around 324,000, the lowest natural increase—or total number of births minus total deaths in a year—since 1946 to 1947.
It also noted an increase in deaths compared to previous years since July 2020 with the first six months of 2021 seeing an increase of 88,191 deaths of which 51 percent was attributed to COVID 19 and the rest to ischemic heart disease, hypertension and other illnesses.
In fact, COVID 19 has been ranked third cause of mortality in 2021 by the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The lower population growth is not from vaccines—as conspiracy theorists have expounded—nor is it a result of depopulation (which means a negative population change in a specific period) but because couples have exercised prudence in building families as the lingering COVID pandemic may not be fit for raising another child.
In 2020, at the start of the pandemic, it was widely believed that a population boom is inevitable as couples were spending more time at home, but this did not materialize, noted PopCom Director General and Undersecretary Juan Antonio Perez III.
Perez issued this statement amid rumors that vaccines are responsible for declining births, as several anti- vaccine advocates claim that it was a depopulation strategy.
He stressed that COVID-19 pushed deaths higher, starting in 2020 when the pandemic struck the country and when vaccines were not yet available, the Inquirer reported.
“One can attribute over half of 88,191 deaths, or 51%, to COVID-19, and the rest to ischemic heart disease, hypertensive disease and other illnesses — the cases which also went up in that time frame,” he added.
Perez also noted that depopulation claims were based on inaccurate assumptions of the data provided, adding that the word “depopulating” means a negative population change in a specific time frame, like a year-on-year basis. If the Philippine data is to be considered, then the country still had a positive population growth rate of 1.63 percent — slower, but not a negative growth.
Skipping appointments
Also, he explained that the higher deaths that are not COVID-19-related may be because people are wary of going outside their homes, which includes skipping appointments with physicians and medical facilities — resulting in people disregarding their existing health conditions.
“Aside from COVID-19, increasing mortalities due to ischemic heart disease and hypertension may be traced to the increased vulnerability of sick members of the population vis-à-vis their morbid conditions,” Perez said.
“We noted decreased attendances in health centers and doctors’ clinics caused by hesitancy among patients to go to medical facilities which were swamped with COVID-19 cases; increasing barriers to care as one has to obtain a schedule to see a physician; as well as limitations on the side of health providers who were unavailable because of escalating caseloads and illnesses,” he added.
In terms of mortality, COVID-19 recently became the third leading cause of death among Filipinos, in data presented by the Philippine Statistics Authority which covers January 2021 to October 2021.
Perez also explained that vaccines are products of scientific research, are generally safe and are designed to protect life.
“Vaccines are products of scientific and medical endeavors primarily designed to protect and uphold life, and not cause it harm. Creating them for a purpose other than the good of mankind, as alleged, would be unthinkable and utterly inhumane,” Perez added.
OCTA notes surges in 7 highly-urbanized cities
Meanwhile, the OCTA Research Group of UP notes COVID 19 “surging” in seven highly-urbanized cities in the country, independent analytics group OCTA Research said Saturday.
Data shared by OCTA Research fellow Guido David showed that COVID-19 cases are “surging in Baguio City, Iloilo City, Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Tacloban City, Davao City, and CDO (Cagayan de Oro).”
The surge, meanwhile, is slowing down in the cities of Angeles, Lucena, and Olongapo.
Metro Manila is showing a “decreasing” trend, according to David.
David said Metro Manila posted a -30 one-week growth rate of COVID-19 cases, while Baguio City posted a 137 percent growth rate; Iloilo City, 208 percent; Cebu City, 254 percent; Lapu-Lapu City, 96 percent; Tacloban, 142 percent; Davao City, 299 percent; and Cagayan de Oro, 236 percent.
Angeles City meantime recorded a one-week growth rate of 16 percent, Lucena had 26 percent, and Olongapo posted a 14 percent growth rate of cases compared to the previous week.
The Department of Health said on Friday that COVID-19 cases seem to be plateauing in Metro Manila but stressed that further study is needed to confirm if cases are decreasing, considering the limitations in RT-PCR testing and the still high positivity rate in the region.
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