Covid-19 (Sept 13): 292 reported deaths, here's when they actually died

 

COVID-19 | The Health Ministry's CovidNow tracker reported a total of 292 fatalities yesterday (Sept 12), bringing the cumulative death toll to 20,711.

Over one-third (106) of the deceased died before being brought to a hospital, while the remainder were in-hospital deaths.

However, out of the 292, only four had actually died yesterday. This figure may change as more deaths are identified in the future. 

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The rest of the deaths were backlog of deaths that occurred earlier but had just been recently determined to have been caused by Covid-19 and added to the national statistics.

According to the actual date of death, the average number of deaths in the last seven days up to yesterday is 99.

By comparing detailed statistics uploaded by the Health Ministry this morning and the data from a day earlier, Malaysiakini determined that about half the deaths actually occurred within the last six days.

The remaining half happened earlier, going as far back as April 15 where one death was only just added to the national tally.

Unlike many countries, Malaysia’s Covid-19 death statistics reflect deaths that were ascertained to have been caused by Covid-19 rather than simply coinciding with a recent positive Covid-19 test result.

Meanwhile, at the state level, most of the new deaths were reported in Sabah (84) with 35 of them being brought-in dead cases.

This is followed by Selangor (45), Kedah (36), Negeri Sembilan (29), Kuala Lumpur (18), Johor (16), Penang (16) Kelantan (13), Perak (11), Sarawak (9), Pahang (7), Terengganu (4), Malacca (2), and Perlis (2).

A state-by-state breakdown of the deaths according to the actual date of death can be found on the ministry’s CovidNow website.

Malaysia is changing how Covid-19 deaths are reported to better reflect the country’s situation, but this would result in an apparent “spike” in reported deaths in the short term.

Previously, due to a backlog, Selangor was reported to be facing record-high Covid-19 deaths even as the actual number of deaths plummeted following a campaign to vaccinate Klang Valley residents as quickly as possible.

The ministry aims to resolve the backlog of reporting Klang Valley deaths by the end of next week and advises the public to use the seven-day ‘actual deaths’ as an indicator of Malaysia’s present Covid-19 situation.

However, the figure is “dynamic” and will change over time as more deaths are identified. The number is not expected to fluctuate much once the backlog is cleared and new measures are implemented to ensure timely reporting.

- Mkini