Seven Covid-19 deaths in NI this week - NISRA

by David Young, PA Media

Seven Covid-19 deaths occurred in Northern Ireland in the latest week analysed by the region’s statistics agency.

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra), which reports with a week lag, put the death toll at the end of last week at 915.

The seven deaths occurred in the week October 3 to 9.

The comparative total number of deaths reported daily by the Department of Health stood at 587 on October 9.

The Nisra data gives a fuller picture of Covid-19 fatalities than the figures released on a daily basis by the department.

The department’s statistics focus primarily on hospital deaths and only include people who have tested positive for the virus.

Nisra obtains its data from death certificates in which Covid-19 is recorded as a factor by a medical professional, regardless of where the death took place.

The person may or may not have tested positive for the virus.

Of the 915 deaths recorded by Nisra by October 2, 495 (54%) occurred in hospital, 356 (39%) in care homes, eight (1%) in hospices and 56 (6%) at residential addresses or other locations.

The 364 deaths which occurred in care homes and hospices involved 85 separate establishments.

Nisra also provides an analysis around the total number of care home residents who have died, whether in their home or in hospital, having been transferred for treatment.

Up to October 9, the deaths of 437 care home residents were linked to coronavirus, 81 of which occurred in hospital.

Care home residents make up about 48% of all deaths linked to Covid-19 in Northern Ireland.

In the week October 3 to 9, 11 coronavirus-linked deaths were officially registered in Northern Ireland, some of which might have occurred before that week as fatalities can take a number of days to register.

The number of registrations was nine more than the previous week.