In just a few weeks, there was an unprecedented increase in deaths in Lithuania, and the number of people dying at home is increasing.

The number of people dying at home is increasing

Institute of Hygiene Rūta Ustinavičienė, Head of the Division for Monitoring Death Cases and their Causes, states that the Institute receives statistical data through the processing of death certificates.

“We will not be able to say the reasons for the increase or decrease in the number of deaths in one or another kind of disease, because we do not have that information in the death certificates,” he said.

From 2017 to 2019, the number of deaths gradually decreased, but things changed this year.

“The number of deaths gradually decreased from 2017 to 2019, in 2020 we see that it has increased. Most deaths are diseases of the circulatory system, each year accounts for more than half of all causes of death, ”said R. Ustinavičienė.

During 2020, the number of deaths in homes increased, the number of deaths in hospitals decreased.

The highest number of deaths, as in previous years, was caused by the class of diseases of the circulatory system. Also infectious and parasitic diseases, respiratory diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, neoplasms and external causes of death.

According to the October data, the highest number of deaths was in the class of diseases of the circulatory system, classes of the respiratory and gastrointestinal system.

“There were 83 deaths from coronavirus in October,” said the expert.

And in the weeks of November, 151 deaths were registered.

An unprecedented leap

Jonas Bačelis, an analyst with the Division of Communication and Dissemination of Statistics, presented the death statistics to the committee.

According to the latest analysis provided by the department, which was carried out last week, 50% more people died in Lithuania in week 49 than in a given week (judging from the previous year).

This is 375 more deaths than in the pre-pandemic period.

“Two jumps: one in July and one in August. And now we are gaining momentum,” said a representative from the Department of Statistics at the committee meeting.

These weeks we can explain the extremely hot air temperature.

“It’s probably not just a pandemic,” the analyst said.

Although the statistics are still very “green”, they already show an unprecedented surplus.

“Even the green data shows that this surplus of deaths is unprecedented,” the expert said of the latest data.

He said such figures, which have been seen in recent weeks, have not been observed for 20 years.

“This growth is unlikely to try to stop,” said J. Bačelis at the committee meeting.

We will see the real picture later.

Sonata Jarmalaitė, a professor at the National Cancer Institute, said the numbers were worrying.

According to preliminary data from the Cancer Registry, the number of tumors diagnosed at an early stage has decreased this year, according to data from the National Cancer Institute, the number of newly diagnosed tumors has decreased by 9 percent. In the early stages that percentage was 6 percent and in the later stages it was 3 percent.

The decrease in the number of patients in the active phase of treatment and the scope of prevention programs is worrying, ”said S. Jarmalaitė in the Health Committee.

“I remind you that cancer is a chronic disease and we will probably see changes later on,” he said.

Matulas: The situation is tragic

After the presentations, the head of the committee, Antanas Matulas, recommended that the Ministry of Health immediately evaluate the situation and take the necessary actions.

“After hearing these reports, we see that the situation is tragic, terrible. We are already seeing directions where activities should be strengthened, ”said a member of the Seimas.

Former Health Minister Aurelijus Veryga recalled at the committee meeting that the bad situation had been discussed for some time.

“I think the representative of the Department of Statistics explained very clearly what the difference is. Now we have a really very bad situation, they started talking about a month ago. Only perhaps Statistics Lithuania did not present such visual data. (…) Now it is obvious that these figures are out of any average ”, said A. Veryga, a member of Seimas.

It is still unclear how many doctors in Lithuania have died from coronavirus since the start of the pandemic.