The counties with the highest Covid-related death rates since the start of the pandemic have been revealed as Mayo, Louth, Cavan, Monaghan, Roscommon and Kildare.
The counties with the lowest rate of Covid deaths per 100,000 population were Sligo, Galway, Tipperary, Longford, Wicklow, Kerry, Meath and Cork.
Yesterday, the world marked the fourth anniversary of the start of the pandemic. It has no longer been a global emergency since last May.
Outbreaks in nursing homes were linked to the highest portion of the 9,358 Covid-related deaths here since the pandemic was announced four years ago.
Covid-related deaths fell substantially last year, with 920 notified fatalities.
A breakdown of deaths by location during the pandemic shows 2,729, or 60pc, were linked to Covid outbreaks in nursing homes.
Another quarter of Covid deaths, 1,194, were associated with outbreaks of the virus in hospitals, with a small portion in community hospitals and residential institutions or other locations.
The final number of Covid-related fatalities for last year is still unclear because of a three-month lag in notifications.
Since the start of the pandemic, more than one in two people have died in hospital and nearly a third in a residential institution such as a nursing home.
A total of 582 people died at home and 149 in a hospice.
The first Covid death was reported here on March 11, 2020. It involved a woman with an underlying illness who contracted the virus in the east of the country.
The highest number of deaths last year occurred in January with 204 fatalities, with the next highest in April, May and October.
It now appears that a rise in Covid cases will be seen at times over the course of each year, with a winter surge likely before it subsides. Last winter’s upswing in infection is now fading, with 81 patients with the illness currently in hospital and six in intensive care.
Last year’s notified death toll of 920 compares to 2,403 Covid-related deaths reported in 2022.
The highest number of Covid-related deaths was in 2021 when 3,827 people died.
During 2020, there were 2,162 Covid-related deaths as Ireland and the rest of the world waited for a vaccine to protect people from serious complications.
The threat from Covid has dramatically receded, although it has not gone away for vulnerable groups. There is also the risk of long-Covid where people who had the virus can be left with lingering symptoms.
Vaccination and previous infection, as well as variants that have not turned out to cause more severe disease, are among the reasons for the fall in deaths.
A Covid inquiry to examine how Ireland performed in key areas, including the protection of residents in nursing homes, will be held later this year, but the aim is to learn lessons rather than indulge in a blame game, according to the Government.
(Source – Irish Independent – News – Health Matters – Eilish O Regan – 12/03/2024)