Ireland Reports No Excess Deaths During 2020-2022 Pandemic Years
Science/Medical/Technology
Tuesday 2nd, January 2024
Ireland has supposedly emerged as one of the success stories in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, with a new working paper from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) revealing that Ireland experienced no excess deaths during the core pandemic years of 2020-2022. The findings position Ireland as one of nine OECD countries that successfully avoided excess mortality during this challenging period.
Excess deaths, a measure of the number of deaths from all causes above the expected baseline, were analysed by the OECD to gauge the impact of the pandemic. Ireland secured the fourth lowest rate among the nine countries, trailing behind New Zealand, Iceland, and Norway.
The OECD's working paper sheds light on the difference between the actual number of deaths recorded during 2020-2022 and the anticipated number under normal circumstances, even factoring in adjustments for changes in population size and demographics. The report highlights that previous estimates did not consider these adjustments, and when accounting for them, Ireland's mortality rates were found to be lower than expected.
The Department of Health emphasized the importance of considering changes in population size and demographics, with Ireland experiencing an 8% rise in total population and a 22% increase in the number of people aged 65 and over between the 2016 and 2022 census.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly attributed the positive outcome to the success of Ireland's public health measures and the strong uptake of the vaccination program. Chief Medical Officer Professor Breda Smyth underscored the significance of the OECD working paper, noting its highlighting of important caveats associated with earlier estimates on excess mortality during the core pandemic years.
The data, sourced from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), is provisional for 2021-2022, and registrations of deaths may have been impacted by legal timelines and disruptions, such as the Health Service Executive (HSE) cyber attack in May 2021.
On a global scale, between 2020 and 2022, OECD countries collectively recorded an additional six million deaths compared to pre-pandemic years, underscoring the widespread impact of COVID-19.
Professor Kingston Mills, an expert in Experimental Immunology from Trinity College Dublin, commended the Irish public for their role in minimising the effects of the virus, citing high vaccine uptake as a significant factor. He stressed the importance of getting a booster, particularly for those over 65 or with underlying medical conditions, pointing out that the vaccine and booster available today cover a broader range of virus strains.
As the threat of COVID-19 continues, the success story in Ireland highlights the effectiveness of comprehensive public health strategies and the crucial role of widespread vaccination in mitigating the impact of the virus on mortality rates.
This is just the first in a number of studies being done into the aftermath of the pandemic and it will be interesteding to see if the findings are corroborated in future studies results.
Excess deaths, a measure of the number of deaths from all causes above the expected baseline, were analysed by the OECD to gauge the impact of the pandemic. Ireland secured the fourth lowest rate among the nine countries, trailing behind New Zealand, Iceland, and Norway.
The OECD's working paper sheds light on the difference between the actual number of deaths recorded during 2020-2022 and the anticipated number under normal circumstances, even factoring in adjustments for changes in population size and demographics. The report highlights that previous estimates did not consider these adjustments, and when accounting for them, Ireland's mortality rates were found to be lower than expected.
The Department of Health emphasized the importance of considering changes in population size and demographics, with Ireland experiencing an 8% rise in total population and a 22% increase in the number of people aged 65 and over between the 2016 and 2022 census.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly attributed the positive outcome to the success of Ireland's public health measures and the strong uptake of the vaccination program. Chief Medical Officer Professor Breda Smyth underscored the significance of the OECD working paper, noting its highlighting of important caveats associated with earlier estimates on excess mortality during the core pandemic years.
The data, sourced from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), is provisional for 2021-2022, and registrations of deaths may have been impacted by legal timelines and disruptions, such as the Health Service Executive (HSE) cyber attack in May 2021.
On a global scale, between 2020 and 2022, OECD countries collectively recorded an additional six million deaths compared to pre-pandemic years, underscoring the widespread impact of COVID-19.
Professor Kingston Mills, an expert in Experimental Immunology from Trinity College Dublin, commended the Irish public for their role in minimising the effects of the virus, citing high vaccine uptake as a significant factor. He stressed the importance of getting a booster, particularly for those over 65 or with underlying medical conditions, pointing out that the vaccine and booster available today cover a broader range of virus strains.
As the threat of COVID-19 continues, the success story in Ireland highlights the effectiveness of comprehensive public health strategies and the crucial role of widespread vaccination in mitigating the impact of the virus on mortality rates.
This is just the first in a number of studies being done into the aftermath of the pandemic and it will be interesteding to see if the findings are corroborated in future studies results.
