More discussion needed on mortality during and after Covid-19 pandemic, says Kilkenny TD

Deputy John McGuinness has called for further discussion to be held on issues around mortality both during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, in a bid to better 'explain to people what happened'.

Speaking in Dáil Éireann during a debate on Trends in Mortality and Estimates of Excess Mortality, the Carlow-Kilkenny TD stated that 'a general discussion outside of this House regarding Covid and what went on at that time will range across the spectrum of conspiracy theories'.

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"I am beginning to think that the number of deaths is unusual and, therefore, we should examine that and try to understand what is the cause of that," he said.

"I accept that we have an increased ageing population and that would explain some of the numbers.

"What shocks me in my own county is the number of young people who are dying, the number of cancer cases being reported and the range of the types of cancer that people are suffering from, in some cases causing death.

"We should educate ourselves on what is happening and we should try to understand the types of cancer and where they come from.

"If we were to do that, we might dispel some of the extreme explanations that we read about and we could address the reasons it is happening and learn from them.

"I would certainly support further investigation into the numbers. I certainly would not support the argument being dismissed on the grounds of it being something that is made up or coming from sharing stories on the internet or elsewhere.

"There is a basis here for a discussion, which we are having in this House, and for some action to be taken. As well as that, we have an obligation to allay the fears of those who are very concerned about the number of deaths.

"Any look-back on where all of this is coming from should really take into account what was happening in our nursing homes at that time."