Covid related deaths fall by 50% according to official statistics

By Q Radio News

Official figures show Covid-19 related deaths in Northern Ireland have fallen by 50% in the last week. 

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency recorded 15 deaths related to the virus in the week ending the 19th of March. 

That's down from 30 the week before. 

It brings the death toll recorded by NISRA to 2,893.  

In comparison, the department of health reported 2,,103 during the same period. 

Of the 2,893 fatalities recorded by Nisra, 1,901 (65.7%) took place in hospital, 767 (26.5%) in care homes, 14 (0.5%) in hospices and 211 (7.3%) at residential addresses or other locations.

However, due to registration offices being closed on 17th March due to the public holiday, figures may be amended. 

Further analysis, which includes deaths of care home residents in hospital, shows that of the 1,003 deaths of care home residents involving Covid-19 which occurred between 18th March 2020 and 19th March 2021, 76.5% (767) occurred in a care home, with the remaining 236 occurring in hospital.

The latest Nisra report states: ''On this basis, deaths of care home residents account for 34.7% of all Covid-19 related deaths, however, no assumptions can be made in relation to where or when the deceased contracted the disease.

''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 19th March 2021 (week 11, 2021) was 253, 86 less than in week 10, and 34 less than the 5-year average (2016-2020) of 287.

''Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate of 15 (5.9%) of the 253 deaths registered in week 11, a fall of 17 from the previous week’s 32 Covid-19 related deaths and the eighth 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 19th March 2021 has now reached 2,886.

''Persons aged 75 and over accounted for 76.5% of the 2,886 Covid‑19 related deaths registered between 19th March 2020 and 19th 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 (10.5% and 6.5% 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).''