An independent review of almost 1,000 Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes, is among 20 recommendations being considered by a cross-party Oireachtas committee. The draft committee report, seen by the Irish Examiner, acknowledges that Covid-19 was “most deadly” in nursing homes, with close to 1,000 deaths and accounting for more than half of all Covid-19 fatalities in the country to date. The report details 20 ‘potential’ recommendations, including seeking an independent review of the circumstances of all nursing home deaths during the pandemic. Where more than half of all Covid-19 deaths occurred in nursing homes in Ireland the comparative figure internationally was 25%, although Dr Nabarro also noted there were differences in how deaths were recorded by each country. The draft committee report found that almost one in five (18%) of 30,000 nursing home residents contracted Covid-19 but also noted that half of all nursing homes remained virus-free.

Source: Irish Examiner July 23, 2020 17:29 UTC