Almost 60 deaths in NI in latest weekly Covid-19 bulletin

By David Young PA

Almost 60 deaths linked to Covid-19 occurred in Northern Ireland in the latest week analysed by statisticians.

The 59 fatalities happened in the week September 11 to 17, according to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra).

They take the total number of coronavirus-linked deaths recorded by Nisra to 3,394.

The Nisra figure is drawn from different data sources than the toll reported by Stormont’s Department of Health.

It is always higher than the department’s total, as it provides a broader picture of the impact of Covid-19.

The statistics agency reports its Covid-19 data with a week lag.

The Department of Health’s death toll stood at 2,499 on September 17.

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 on which Covid-19 is recorded as a factor by a medical professional, regardless of where the death took place or whether the patient tested positive.

Of the 3,394 deaths recorded by Nisra by September 17, 2,300 (68%) took place in hospitals, 827 (25%) in care homes, 14 (0.4%) in hospices and 253 (7.5%) at residential addresses or other locations.

Nisra reported that, up to September 17, the deaths of 1,081 care home residents were linked to Covid-19.

The figure includes deaths that occurred in care homes and in other locations, including care home residents who died in hospital, having been taken there for treatment.

Care home residents make up around 32% of deaths linked to Covid-19 in Northern Ireland, according to Nisra.

In the week to September 17, 63 coronavirus-linked deaths were officially registered in Northern Ireland.

This is a slightly different figure from the death occurrence number.

Some of the fatalities registered in the week September 11 to September 17 could have occurred before that week, as deaths can take a number of days to register.

Those aged 75 and over accounted for 74.8% of the 3,370 Covid-19 related deaths registered between March 19 2020 and September 17 2021.