Rise in weekly deaths linked to covid-19 in Northern Ireland

By Q Radio News

Latest figures show 49 deaths involving covid-19 occurred in Northern Ireland last week, an increase from 35 the week before. 

The figures bring the death toll according to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency to 3,611 up until 22nd October.

In comparison, the Department of Health reported 2,657 covid-19 related deaths during the same period. 

The department's count is based on patients having previously tested positive for the virus, whereas NISRA figures are based on information entered on death certificates. 

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.

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/B3mSFIznye

— NISRA (@NISRA) October 29, 2021

Of NISRA's total, 2,465 (68.3%) deaths took place in hospital, 850 (23.5%) in care homes, 14 (0.4%) in hospices and 282 (7.8%) at residential addresses or other locations.

Further analysis, which includes deaths of care home residents by place of death, shows that there was a total of 1,120 deaths of care home residents involving Covid-19 (including deaths that took place somewhere other than the care home) occurring between 18 March 2020 and 22 October 2021.

This accounts for 31.0% of all Covid-19 related deaths. However, no assumptions can be made in relation to where the deceased contracted the disease..

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 (12.4% and 8.2% respectively) compared with their share of all deaths in Northern Ireland (10.4% and 6.6% respectively). Conversely, Ards & North Down and Fermanagh & Omagh both have relatively low shares of registered Covid-19 related deaths (2.6 and 2.1 percentage points lower respectively than their share of all deaths).