NISRA Covid-19 related deaths: week ending 12th March 2021

By Q Radio News

Latest figures published today by NISRA show that 30 deaths involving Covid-19 occurred in the week 6th to 12th March 2021.

Due to Registrations Offices being closed on 17th March for the St Patrick’s Day public holiday, occurrences reflect registrations up to 16th March.

The total number of Covid-19 related deaths that occurred up to 12th March 2021 has now reached 2,877.

Of the 2,877 Covid-19 related deaths, 1,891 (65.7%) took place in hospital, 764 (26.6%) in care homes, 14 (0.5%) in hospices and 208 (7.2%) at residential addresses or other locations.

The comparative number of deaths reported daily by the Department of Health to 12th March 2021 was 2,098. These figures are based on patients having previously tested positive for the virus, whereas the NISRA figures are based on the information entered on death certificates completed by medical professionals.

They may or may not have previously tested positive for the virus and therefore include both confirmed and suspected cases, and where Covid-19 was either a contributor to or the main cause of death.

Further analysis, which includes deaths of care home residents in hospital, shows that of the 1,000 deaths of care home residents involving Covid-19 which occurred between 18th March 2020 and 12th March 2021, 76.4% (764) occurred in a care home, with the remaining 236 occurring in hospital. On this basis, deaths of care home residents account for 34.8% of all Covid-19 related deaths; however, no assumptions can be made in relation to where or when the deceased contracted the disease.

The weekly bulletin containing data on deaths registered during the week ending 12th March and information on Covid-19 related deaths was published this morning. https://t.co/DT8xnpWbMV pic.twitter.com/gKMRb32VBb

— NISRA (@NISRA) March 19, 2021

Separate analyses, based on the date of death registration, shows that the provisional number of total deaths from all causes registered in Northern Ireland in the week ending 12th March 2021 (week 10, 2021) was 339, 20 more than in week 9, and one more than the 5-year average (2016-2020) of 338.

Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate of 32 (9.4%) of the 339 deaths registered in week 10, a fall from the previous week’s 33 Covid-19 related deaths and the seventh consecutive fall in the registration based series since the recent peak of 182 Covid-19 related deaths registered in the week ending 22nd January.  The total number of Covid-19 related deaths registered to 12th February 2021 has now reached 2,871.

NISRA’s dashboard containing some of the key statistics from our weekly deaths publication has been updated. The dashboard is updated on a weekly basis. https://t.co/yLSVh8RE0R pic.twitter.com/iQPkp7zijI

— NISRA (@NISRA) March 19, 2021

Persons aged 75 and over accounted for 76.6% of the 2,871 Covid‑19 related deaths registered between 19th March 2020 and 12th March 2021.

Over the period of the pandemic, Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon and Mid-Ulster Local Government Districts have had higher proportions of Covid-19 related deaths (12.2% and 8.2% respectively) compared with their share of all deaths in Northern Ireland (10.4% and 6.4% respectively).

Conversely, Ards & North Down and Fermanagh & Omagh both have relatively low shares of registered Covid-19 related deaths when compared to the proportion of Northern Ireland deaths registered in those areas (2.3 and 2.5 percentage points respectively lower than their share of all deaths).