Fewer firecracker-related injuries were reported during the New Year revelries, the Department of Health said Friday as Filipinos welcomed a more somber 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fifty firecracker-related injuries were reported from Dec 21, 2020 to Jan 1, 2021, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said, noting that one of the reported cases was that of a stray bullet that police said claimed a 12-year-old girl's life in Lanao del Norte.
The tally, according to Duque, is 85% lower than the 340 cases reported during the same period for the 2020 New Year revelries, and 89% lower than the five-year average for the same period from 2015-2019.
"We have also observed that there was a change of behavior of Filipinos towards health. Due to the pandemic, the Filipinos became more aware and involved in ensuring the health and safety of their family and community," Duque said in a New Year's Day briefing.
Most of those who incurred firecracker-related injuries were males and teens based on DOH records with Kwitis, Boga, 5-Star, Fountain, and Triangle firecrackers causing the most injuries.
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Metro Manila, where most mayors have prohibited firecracker use, reported the most number of injuries at 22. Twelve of the reported firecracker-related injuries were in Manila City, followed by Caloocan City with four, Quezon City with two, and Malabon and Marikina with one each.
Individuals who sustained firecracker-related injuries should immediately visit the hospital to have their wounds checked and to get anti-tetanus shots, Duque said.
The DOH said it would continue recording firecracker-related injuries until Jan. 6.
