More than 60 additional COVID-19 deaths in 2022 were discovered where the certifying doctor listed COVID-19 on the person’s death certificate, but the deaths were not reported to ACT Health.

ACT Health’s review compared all COVID-19 deaths reported to the ACT Births Deaths and Marriages Registry (BDM) with COVID-19 cases reported to ACT Health over the course of the pandemic (since March 2020).

As of 17 February, the inclusion of the 61 COVID-19 deaths plus six deaths to be reported this week brings the total number of lives lost in the ACT to 224 (since March 2020 until the end of this reporting period).

A COVID-19-related death is defined as a death in a confirmed or probable COVID-19 case where the certifying doctor has listed COVID-19 on the person’s death certificate.

Up to the end of 2022, COVID-19-related deaths were reported to ACT Health from public and private hospitals, Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs), the ACT Coroner’s Court, and other sources.

All 61 deaths occurred in 2022.

The highest number of deaths were in the months of June and July (12 deaths in each month respectively). This coincided with a peak in COVID-19 cases reported to ACT Health.

The age range was from 68 to 102 years (median age 86 years), and 60 per cent were male.

59 per cent of the deaths (36 out of 61) occurred at Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs), 18 per cent (11 out of 61) died at home, 16 per cent (10 out of 61) in ACT Public Hospitals, and 7 per cent (4 out of 61) at a Palliative Care Facility.

None of the deceased cases identified as Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander.

Of the 36 unreported deaths in residents of RACFs, 75 per cent (27 out of 36) were linked to COVID-19 outbreaks across 21 facilities in 2022.

ACT Health said the resource-intensive and manual nature of the reporting process was the likely main reason for deaths being under-reported: hospitals and RACFs had to identify potential COVID-19-related deaths and manage death certificates to determine if the death was reportable.

To ensure COVID-19-related death numbers are as accurate as possible into the future, BDM data will be used as the primary source of COVID-19-related deaths in the ACT.