THE DEPARTMENT OF Health has confirmed an error in a report published last Friday which recorded a death from coronavirus in a nursing home occurring as early as mid-February. 

A census of mortality across all residential care facilities in Ireland was carried out over the weekend of 18 April in order to gain a clearer picture of mortality in Ireland’s long-term residential care facilities. 

The report was published on the Department website on Friday last. 

A laboratory confirmed death in a nursing home was recorded as having occurred between 17 – 23 February, over one week before public health officials confirmed the country’s first case of Covid-19 and over one month before Ireland’s first confirmed death in a long-term residential care facility. 

Original census graph with mid-February error. Department of Health Department of Health

The reported death came about as a result of an error by a nursing home, the Department of Health has confirmed today. 

According to a statement, the Department checked back with the nursing home on its report and it was confirmed “that this return was an error by the nursing home”.

The Department’s data has now been updated to reflect the amendment.

Updated mortality census graph. Department of Health Department of Health

“Analysis of this data is still ongoing and the graph will continue to be updated as needed in line with any further validation of the data,” the spokesperson added. 

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) is the official source of mortality data, they said, adding that HPSC data records the first confirmed Covid-19 death in Ireland in a long-term residential care facility as having occurred on 29 March. 

The census, however, also records 30 “probable deaths” from Covid-19 in nursing homes occurring between 24 February and 29 March, the date of the first confirmed Covid-19 death in long-term residential care facilities.

Last night, health officials confirmed that a further 37 people have died from Covid-19 in Ireland. 

A further 265 cases of Covid-19 were also confirmed here, bringing the total number of cases in Ireland to 22,248.

The overall death toll from the virus in Ireland is 1,375.