Northern Ireland

NI's Covid death rate higher than any other country tracked by health chiefs

The Department of Health seven-day rolling average of new coronavirus deaths per 100,000 of the population show while most other countries have been levelling off, totals in the region doubled in the last week alone
The Department of Health seven-day rolling average of new coronavirus deaths per 100,000 of the population show while most other countries have been levelling off, totals in the region doubled in the last week alone The Department of Health seven-day rolling average of new coronavirus deaths per 100,000 of the population show while most other countries have been levelling off, totals in the region doubled in the last week alone

A LEADING epidemiologist has said there is no reason why 90 per cent of Covid-19 deaths could not be preventable.

Public health expert Dr Gabriel Scally said death rate statistics for Northern Ireland were bleak.

The north now has the highest rate of any developed country tracked by the Department of Health - 10 times that of the Republic.

The department's seven-day rolling average of new coronavirus deaths per 100,000 of the population show while most other countries have been levelling off, totals in the region doubled in the last week alone.

It measures the death rates against the UK average, the Republic, the US, Italy, South Korea, China and Japan.

Northern Ireland's rate is 0.41 compared with 0.04 in the south and a UK average of 0.15.

It is higher even than the 0.31 recorded in the US, where the weekend saw the seven-day average of coronavirus deaths has hit the highest rate since March 30, when vaccinations were not widely available.

It measures the death rates against the UK average, the Republic, the US, Italy, South Korea, China and Japan
It measures the death rates against the UK average, the Republic, the US, Italy, South Korea, China and Japan It measures the death rates against the UK average, the Republic, the US, Italy, South Korea, China and Japan

The north has been recording the highest comparable levels since July 26 when it moved ahead of the UK average and US to exceed every other tracked country.

It was the first time this has happened since a 13 day period beginning on October 20 2020.

Its climbing trend is now only mirrored in the US.

Epidemiologist and public health expert Dr Gabriel Scally said the bleak statistics are a mixture of the north having "the highest infection rates and lowest vaccination rates in the UK and an older population, certainly than the Republic".

However, he told The Irish News "there is no reason why 90 per cent of deaths couldn't be preventable".

"Northern Ireland is the only part of Britain or Ireland that doesn't have local directors of public heath."

Dr Scally said this has led to the wrong information circulating from the failure to understand the virus is airbourne - rendering most masks being used useless - to contradictory messages about vaccine safety.

"Someone who is 15 in Lifford has been vaccinated or has an appointment but a 15-year-old in Strabane is told that it is not safe for them to have it.

"The same messaging was given to 16 and 17 year olds - that it was safer for them to get the virus than get the vaccine, and then two weeks later they were being told to get it."

He fears that the executive's failure to address the need for proper ventilation in schools and work places will lead to a further spike - with increased infection rates and illness among unvaccinated young people.

"It's absolutely not to late to do these things and it's not tremendously expensive compared to the failed test and trace (programme)."