NISRA records lowest amount of Covid19 related deaths since October

By Q Radio News

Official figures show there were 10 deaths involving covid-19 in Northern Ireland last week. 

That's the lowest number reported by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) since the week ending October 9, 2020. 

It brings NISRA's death toll to 2,919 up until April 2, 2021. 

Of that number 1,920 (65.8%) took place in hospital, 770 (26.4%) in care homes, 14 (0.5%) in hospices and 215 (7.4%) at residential addresses or other locations.

In comparison, the Department of Health reported 2,116 fatalities during the same period.

Further analysis by NISRA, which includes deaths of care home residents in hospital, shows that of the 1,006 deaths of care home residents involving Covid-19 that occurred between 18th March 2020 and 2nd April 2021, 76.5% (770) occurred in a care home, with the remaining 236 occurring in hospital.

On this basis, deaths of care home residents account for 34.5% 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 2nd April 2021 (week 13, 2021) was 288, 19 less than in week 12, and 10 less than the 5-year average (2016-2020) of 298.

Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate of 12 (4.2%) of the 288 deaths registered in week 13, a decrease of 7 from the previous week’s 19 Covid-19 related deaths. The total number of Covid-19 related deaths registered to 2nd April 2021 has now reached 2,917.

Persons aged 75 and over accounted for 76.3% of the 2,917 Covid‑19 related deaths registered between 19th March 2020 and 2nd April 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 (12.1% and 8.2% respectively) compared with their share of all deaths in Northern Ireland (10.4% 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).