Deaths in Portugal are continuing to follow an upward trajectory – with no acknowledged correlation to Covid-19. Meanwhile, the number of births are dropping year on year.
Between January and October 2021, the number of deaths recorded reached 103,211. That is more than the number recorded in 2019 (before the pandemic kicked in), and in 2020 (once it had started).
Between January and October this year, taking figures from the DGS Covid site, 10,934 people died from Covid-19. (Bearing in mind the figures for deaths in January were only published 24-hours later on January 2, 2021, the total Covid death toll in Portugal at that point had reached 7,045. By the end of September – ie taking figures published on October 1 – numbers had climbed to 17,979).
In other words, of the 103,211 deaths between January and October, 91,277 did not die from Covid-19 – or even with Covid-19.
Presenting the data today, Jornal Económico adds that mortality has continued to increase through October.
“According to details published this Friday by INE (the national institute of statistics), the number of deaths (for October) was 9,314 – a value superior to that registered the month before, an increase of 749 deaths”, but lower than October 2020.
Again, the Covid death toll for the month of October, according to the DGS website, came to 183 – meaning 9,136 deaths (or 98% of deaths) were due to other causes.
Establishing that death tolls have been increasing through the pandemic, the question needs to be “by how much?”
INE reports that the January-October death toll is up 10,318 on figures for 2019 and 4,107 on figures for 2020.
“In spite of the reduction in mortality observed from March 2021 (ie post administration of Covid vaccines) compared to the same months of 2020 this did not compensate the elevated number of deaths registered in January and February of 2021”, adds the INE report.
January 2021 was the worst month for deaths all round, with the highest number since the start of the pandemic: 19,671 – 7,809 more than had been recorded in January of 2020.
Of those deaths, 29.4% (or 5,785) were registered as down to Covid-19.
On the other end of the scale, births continue their freefall: INE reports that in September this year, 7,117 babies were registered “corresponding to a reduction of 7.1% compared with 2020.
“The total number of births registered between January and September of 2021 was 58,732, lower than numbers for the period of 2019 and 2020” (less 6,208 and 5,452 respectively).
The result means a ‘negative balance of -1,427 worse than the same month in 2020, when the negative balance came to -1,331”.
“In cumulative terms, the natural balance to September was -35,074, an aggravated value compared with the same period of 2019 (when births fell by 19,150) and 2020 (when they fell by 25,112).
