Deaths are surging and not just from Covid

IN the first ten months of 2021, there were about 180,000 more deaths than would be expected, based on the usual variation in fatalities from year to year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

These "excess deaths" increased the nationwide January-October body count by a huge 34.8 percent — seven times the maximum normal historical percentage change of between 0.5 and 5 percent up or down in one year.