Statistics: Death Rate Down in June; Deaths from COVID Drop to Eighth Place

Bratislava, July 28 (TASR) – A total of 4,251 individuals died in Slovakia in June, the lowest figure in twelve months, and COVID-19 was far from being the most frequent cause of death, falling to eighth place, the Statistics Office reported on Wednesday.

The highest death rate was seen in the category of younger seniors, aged 65-74.

Excess mortality shrank to 5 percent in June. The number of deaths in June thus approached that in previous years. “The excess figure was the lowest since last September, as it amounted to 9 percent in May and to 28 percent in April. The highest figures in Slovakia were posted in January, when excess mortality reached almost 77 percent,” stated Zuzana Podmanicka, director of the office’s population statistics department.

A total of 72 individuals died of COVID-19 in June – less than 2 percent of all deaths. Novel coronavirus was the most frequent cause of death in the first three months of 2021, but it dropped to second place in April, then to third place in May and to eighth place in June. “Whereas in January-March COVID-19 caused the deaths of 37-40 people out of one hundred, in June the figure stood at only at two people out of one hundred,” said Podmanicka.

The highest numbers of deaths in June were caused by cardiovascular diseases (47 percent of deaths) and cancer (25 percent). These were followed by respiratory diseases (8 percent), digestive diseases (6 percent) and external causes of death (5 percent).