Search

Background: In Ireland, a 'COVID-19 death' is defined as any death in which the decedent was COVID-19 positive and had no clear alternative cause of death unrelated to COVID-19, a definition based on World Health Organization guidance., Aims: The objectives of this audit were to determine the proportion of COVID-19 deaths notified in the Cork/Kerry region of Ireland during winter 2021-2022 which adhered to this national definition, and to determine whether COVID-19 was deemed to be the primary cause of death, or a contributory or incidental factor., Methods: A review of all deaths in individuals who were COVID-19 positive at the time of death notified to the Department of Public Health for Cork and Kerry between 22 November 2021 and 31 January 2022 was conducted to determine whether each death adhered to the national COVID-19 death definition. The clinical opinion on cause of death was obtained by contacting decedents' clinicians., Results: Sixty deaths in individuals who were COVID-19 positive at the time of death were notified to the Department in the study period. Of deaths notified as being due to COVID-19, COVID-19 was deemed the primary cause of death, a contributory factor or an incidental factor in 72.7%, 21.8%, and 5.5% of cases, respectively. Most (93.3%) notified deaths adhered to the national COVID-19 death definition., Conclusions: The COVID-19 death definition in Ireland may require revision so it can distinguish between deaths caused by COVID-19 and those in which COVID-19 played a less direct role. The current COVID-19 mortality reporting system may also need updating to capture more clinical nuance., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland.)

Over 19,000 residents and health-care workers in 315 RCFs were swabbed in a once – off mass swabbing of residents and staff in residential care facilities (RCFs) in the Cork/Kerry region in Ireland in April and May 2020. This exercise was in response to epidemiological evidence demonstrating increasing community transmission of COVID-19 and emerging evidence of the vulnerability of older persons, particularly those with underlying medical conditions. The effectiveness of such strategies is uncertain and may depend on both the positive case yield and efficiency of testing turn-around to ensure that timely control measures are put in place. The overall positivity rate was 0.88% (n = 172). Mass swabbing allowed early identification of some new cases and outbreaks in RCFs. This facilitated early public health interventions to protect the most vulnerable members of society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]