The State is unsure of precise Covid death numbers last year and has been making use of RIP.ie to compile its figures, it has emerged. The timeliness of mortality data in Ireland means that the Central Statistics Office (CSO) is not currently in a position to produce excess mortality figures for Ireland for 2020 using official data, the Department of the Taoiseach has admitted. He had asked why Ireland has failed to submit excess mortality figures from 2020 to Eurostat, the organisation that compiles statistics for the whole of the EU. Given the seriousness of the pandemic, and with daily death tolls being announced each evening, he also asked when the excess mortality rate for last year will be published. Based on an analysis of death notices, excess mortality for the pandemic period March to September 2020 is “estimated to be between 876 and 1,192”, he added.

Source: Irish Independent April 26, 2021 01:30 UTC