Medical examiner warns medical staff of legal requirements to record all Covid-19 deaths



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Not all Covid-19 deaths are reported as required by law, the Dublin coroner warned.

As a result, Dr. Myra Cullinane has written to medical personnel in hospitals and elsewhere that they are responsible for completing death certificates saying that they must meet the requirement to report “any proven or suspected Covid-19 death” to his office.

His warning comes amid concerns over possible underreporting of deaths from the virus, particularly outside hospitals. Analysis of online death warnings in recent weeks has suggested a level of excess mortality that is not listed in official figures.

Separately, RTÉ News reported Wednesday night that nine residents at the Maryborough Center, St. Fintan Hospital, Portlaoise, Co Laois, died over the holiday weekend. Eight of the residents of the psychiatric center, aged between 66 and 84 years, had tested positive for Covid-19. The remaining 17 residents are being handled as if they had the virus, the HSE said.

Health workers

Two health workers at San Lucas General Hospital in Co Kilkenny died of Covid-19 within 24 hours.

A woman in her fifties and a man in her forties were working at the hospital when they became ill. A spokeswoman for the Eastern Ireland Hospital Group, which runs St. Luke’s, confirmed the deaths and said the group was “deeply saddened” by what had happened.

“We send our condolences to their families, friends and colleagues,” he said.

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