The Commissioner for Older People in Northern Ireland has said there is a moral duty to record the deaths of all victims of the Covid-19 pandemic in the same way.

The Commissioner for Older People in Northern Ireland has said there is a moral duty to record the deaths of all victims of the Covid-19 pandemic in the same way.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Eddie Lynch welcomed the decision to begin recording deaths in care homes and community settings in Northern Ireland.
Mr Lynch said that he had expressed concern previously that figures of cases or the deaths of older people in community or care settings were not being officially recorded.
He said the decision to do so from Friday is proper, as behind every person who passes away in a care home is a wife, husband, father, mother, granny or grandad.
He said that it is very important as a society that there is equality for victims to help people cope with the aftermath of the virus.
The ramping up of testing in care homes is also needed, he said, and while it can be difficult to identify the cause of death in some cases of older people, he added “if a victim in a care home has been displaying symptoms it must be recorded as a suspected case”.
He said increased testing of people in care homes is important “if we are going to get a handle on this disease” and to help identify clusters and prevent spread as well as to give very important intelligence to assist during any future phases of this virus.