THE Republic has one of the highest Covid-19 death rates in the world and double that of the UK, new figures reveal.
Statistics show that the number of coronavirus deaths per million people in the Republic is currently the highest in Europe and the seventh highest in the world.
The figures from Our World in Data, which were reported by the Irish Times, reveal that just Taiwan, Portugal, Finland and New Zealand, along with the small island states of Montserrat and Barbados, have higher death rates.
On June 1, the Republic recorded 2.21 Covid-19 deaths per million people, based on a seven-day rolling average - more than twice that of the UK (0.91) and the United States (0.83).
The highest daily death rate in the Republic during the coronavirus pandemic occurred in April 2020, when it reached 14.11.
The Republic's Department of Health said the international comparison is based on deaths by the date they were reported, rather than on the day they occurred.
It also said that it was due to the number of deaths now being reported weekly rather than daily.
There were 77 deaths reported in the last weekly update on June 1st but, a department spokesman said 69 per cent of these occurred in April or earlier.
"Recording of Covid-19 deaths may differ substantially between countries," the spokesman said.
"The definition of a Covid-19 death used by countries can also vary considerably.
"These differences limit international comparisons.
"Additionally, it is also important to note that when interpreting data on Covid-19 mortality, the death figures on a given date are not necessarily the number of new deaths on that day, but the number of deaths reported on that day, which may be subject to a time lag."
There have been more than 7,300 Covid-19 related deaths in the Republic since the pandemic began.
