Covid-19 is the fourth most common underlying cause of deaths recorded in Ireland so far this year.

COVID-19 HAS BEEN listed as the fourth most common underlying cause of deaths recorded in Ireland in the first 10 months of this year.

In a new update from the Central Statistical Office (CSO), based on deaths recorded in the General Registrar Office, it said a total of 22,416 deaths were recorded from January 1, 2020 to October 31, 2020 in the whole country.

The most common underlying causes of death cited were cancer (7,269 deaths), diseases of the circulatory system / heart (5,886) and diseases of the respiratory system / lungs (2,390).

Among them, the top three listed above were identified in just under 70% of the deaths reported in Ireland so far this year.

Covid-19 accounted for 1,462 of the recorded deaths, or 6.5%.

However, according to figures from the Department of Health, the number of deaths of people with Covid-19 is much higher. The death toll now stands at 2,022. At the end of October, there were 1,915.

Addressing this discrepancy between the figures, the CSO said: “It is important to note that there will be a series of deaths in which Covid-19 will not be assigned as [underlying cause of death] and therefore, the deaths from Covid-19 in this analysis will vary from those made public by the Department of Health.

A death from Covid-19 is defined, for surveillance purposes, as a death resulting from a clinically compatible disease in a probable or confirmed case of Covid-19, unless there is a clear alternative cause of death that cannot be related to Covid -19 (eg trauma). There should not be a complete recovery period between illness and death.

Legally, in Ireland, a death can be registered up to three months after the date of occurrence and therefore not all deaths that occurred between January 1, 2020 and October 31, 2020 are included in this. The CSO estimates that approximately 2,500 to 3,500 deaths remain to be recorded for the analysis period in this result.

Ireland has been counting deaths from Covid-19 on the advice of the World Health Organization, which issued guidance on the subject earlier this year. The CSO said the hierarchy in which causes of death are written on a death certificate will have an impact on what it assigns as the underlying cause of death for the purposes of this data.

The guidelines note that there is “increasing evidence that people with existing chronic diseases or compromised immune systems due to disability are at increased risk of death due to Covid-19.”

The document adds that if the person who died had a non-communicable disease such as coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or diabetes, this must also be reported on his death certificate.

The Department of Health has said that, following WHO guidance, it has “sought to provide the most complete and accurate picture possible of the impact of Covid-19.”

It has also been observed in the past that in those who died with Covid-19 who already had underlying conditions, “they may have continued to live for a long time had they not contracted it.”

“It is important to note that a third of people in Ireland (32%) have a long-standing health condition,” said a spokesman for the department. “This is an important part of our society. Everyone with an underlying medical condition is important. Their lives matter. “

The CSO said today that, by age group, 8.1% of deaths among people aged 80 and over list Covid-19 as an underlying cause of death.

This ranked fifth behind diseases of the circulatory system, cancer, diseases of the respiratory system, and mental and behavioral disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Among other age groups, Covid-19 was cited as an underlying cause in 5.4% of deaths in people 65 to 79 years old, 3.3% in people 50 to 64 years old, and 2.1% in people 25 to 49 years old.

The CSO added that deaths attributed to external causes of injuries and poisonings, such as motor vehicle accidents, are underrepresented in the analysis, as such deaths are frequently reported to the Coroner’s Office for further investigation. As a result, these deaths can be reported later and are not included in CSO statistics.

Under the heading of injuries and poisonings, this year there have been 295 deaths.

With reporting by Órla Ryan