The number of people who died by suicide in the past year is the lowest rate in the last three years. "My sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who died by suspected suicide in the past year," she said. "Throughout this year, there has been unhelpful and irresponsible public commentary on the effect Covid-19 would have on the suicide rate. Director of the Suicide Prevention Office, Carla na Nagara, said the statistics should also end the "harmful speculation" about suicide numbers. "We need to make sure that we are dealing with only the facts and remember that the Chief Coroner is the sole authority on real-time data for suspected suicides," she said.

Source: Otago Daily Times August 20, 2020 20:15 UTC