133 Molesworth
Street
PO Box 5013
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
T+64 4 496 2000
8 November 2021
AJ Sheppard
By email:
[FYI request #17393 email]
Ref:
H202115236
Tēnā koe AJ
Response to your request for official information
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) to the Ministry of
Health (the Ministry) on 29 October 2021 for information regarding COVID-19 deaths.
Each part of your request is responded to below:
As of 29/10/2021 there are 28 recorded covid deaths in nz.
Were all of the 28 deaths tested for covid 19?
Yes, as of 29 October 2021, there are 28 recorded COVID-19 deaths in New Zealand. We
wil only be providing information for the first 26 deaths. 25 of the cases recorded as having
died from COVID-19 were tested.
Did all 28 deaths return a positive pcr test for covid 19? If not please provide a
breakdown of positive result, negative result and no test done.
Five people who are reported to have died from COVID-19 did not have laboratory
confirmation. Four probable cases were tested, but all swabs were negative. One probable
case was never tested. The remaining cases returned positive PCR test results. The
remaining 23 cases tested positive.
How long prior to each of the victims deaths were they tested?
The information you have requested is attached to this letter as Document 1 for the first 21
laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases, as the other 5 cases are probable.
How many of the 28 covid deaths underwent autopsy to confirm cause of death?
The Ministry does not hold this information. This information wil be held by the hospitals
conducting the treatment. You may wish to seek information held by the specific public
health unit. Their details can be found at:
www.health.govt.nz/new-zealand-health-
system/key-health-sector-organisations-and-people/public-health-units/public-health-unit-
contacts.
Who signs off/confirms the cause of death due to covid 19?
After a person dies, the certificate of cause of death is completed by the medical or nurse
practitioner who was responsible for their care during their final il ness. When a person is
suspected to have a COVID-19 infection, a laboratory test is done to confirm the presence of
the virus. When the person with a confirmed COVID-19 infection is unwell, the clinician
assesses the patient’s acute condition and considers their medical history including any
chronic conditions and medications the patient was taking before they became il , as those
wil need to be treated as well as COVID-19.
The cause of death is determined from an assessment of the patient’s clinical condition at
the time of death. If the patient never recovered from the acute severe respiratory syndrome
caused by COVID-19, the cause of death wil be the infection from COVID-19. If any other
pre-existing conditions were considered by the clinician to have contributed to the patient
succumbing to the COVID-19 infection, then those conditions are documented on the
certificate of cause of death as other significant conditions that contributed to the death. If
the patient died from a complication of COVID 19 infection, then the complication will be
documented as the primary cause of death, and the COVID-19 infection wil be entered as a
factor giving rise to the primary cause of death.
If a person recovers from a COVID-19 infection and then dies days or weeks later from
exacerbation of a dif erent (pre-existing) condition, the medical or nurse practitioner wil
assess the person’s clinical condition at time of death and complete the certificate of cause
of death in line with that assessment. It is likely the acute exacerbation of the pre-existing
condition wil be entered as the cause of death. If the COVID-19 infection was thought to
have contributed to the person’s declining health from that other condition, then the COVID-
19 infection wil be entered as a significant condition that contributed to the death.
Guidance for certifying deaths from or with COVID-19 has been on the COVID-19
‘Information for health practitioners’ section of the Ministry’s website since early in the
COVID-19 pandemic at:
•
www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-
coronavirus/covid-19-information-health-professionals/recording-covid-19
•
www.health.govt.nz/our-work/regulation-health-and-disability-system/burial-and-
cremation-act-1964/completing-death-documents/covid-19-deaths
There are also occasions when an attending medical or nurse practitioner is required to
report a death to the coroner under the Coroners Act 2006. There is more information about
these criteria at:
www.health.govt.nz/our-work/regulation-health-and-disability-system/burial-
and-cremation-act-1964/referring-death-coroner.
Were any of the 28 victims already hospitalized for other il ness/treatment at the time
of infection or death?
Has any one person signed of on or officially confirmed cause of death due to covid
more for more then one patient?
The Ministry does not hold this information. This information wil be held by the hospitals
conducting the treatment. You may wish to seek information held by the specific public
health unit. Their details can be found at:
www.health.govt.nz/new-zealand-health-
system/key-health-sector-organisations-and-people/public-health-units/public-health-unit-
contacts.
Page 2 of 3
Under section 28(3) of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review any
decisions made under this request. The Ombudsman may be contacted by email at:
[email address] or by calling 0800 802 602.
Please note that this response, with your personal details removed, may be published on the
Ministry website at:
www.health.govt.nz/about-ministry/information-releases/responses-
official-information-act-requests.
Nāku noa, nā
Nick Allan
Manager OIA Services
Office of the Director-General
Page 3 of 3
Document 1
The number of days between COVID-19 testing and death
Case
Days between test and
number
death
1
4
2
3
3
1
4
13
5
0
1982
6
3
7
9
ACT
8
4
9
22
10
11
11
12
12
15
INFORMATION
13
12
14
21
15
9
OFFICIAL
16
11
17
40
THE
18
23
19
23
20
29
UNDER
21
7
RELEASED
