COVID-19 as the sole cause of death (FOI)

Request  

For the period November 2019 to November 2021 I would like the exact figure of how many people died in Jersey General Hospital where the cause was from Covid-19 alone and nothing else?

There are other Freedom of Information (FOI) requests with similar answers but there is a cross over from December 2020 to February 2021, so this FOI request is to know the true figure between November 2019 to November 2021.

Response

The ‘Cause of Death’ section on a death registration consists of four sections (1a, 1b, 1c and 2) for conditions which together present a narrative of the person’s state of health at the point of their death. This is provided so as to give comprehensive details of the conditions that lead to a person’s death. Only those conditions which caused the death are included. Any condition which a person is suffering with at the time of their death but did not cause the death is not included. For example:

1a. The disease or condition that lead to the death (eg Respiratory Failure) 

1b. Antecedent causes (eg Pneumonia) 

1c. Morbid conditions giving rise to the above causes (eg COVID-19) 

2. Other significant conditions contributing to the death but not related to the disease or condition causing it (eg Diabetes Mellitus, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)

Between November 2019 and November 2021, two Covid-19 related deaths which occurred at Jersey General Hospital were registered with no other causes of death under sections 1b, 1c or 2. In those two cases, the Cause of Death section was registered as follows: 

1a. COVID-19 Pneumonitis with Superimposed Bacterial Pneumonia

1b.

1c.

2.

And

1a. COVID-19 Infection

1b.

1c.

2.