Weekly COVID-19 death toll in Northern Ireland falls for sixth week in a row

By Q Radio News and PA.

The weekly coronavirus death toll has fallen in Northern Ireland for the sixth week in a row, latest figures have indicated.

Statistics published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) show there were 19 deaths involving Covid-19 in the week to June 5.

The Nisra figures give a fuller picture of Covid-19 deaths than the daily figures released by the Department of Health, which focus primarily on hospital deaths.

Nisra obtains its statistics using death certificates in which Covid-19 is mentioned as a cause, regardless of where the fatality occurred.

They show that the death toll up to June 5th was 779.

That compares with 537 reported by the Department of Health on that day.

Of the 779 deaths reported by Nisra, 395 (50.7%) took place in hospital, 334 (42.9%) in care homes, eight (1%) in hospices and 42 (5.4%) at residential addresses or other locations.

The 342 deaths which occurred in care homes and hospices involved 78 separate establishments.

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

It shows that to June 5, the deaths of 404 care home residents involved Covid-19 as a factor, 70 of which occurred in hospital.

That means almost 52% of all coronavirus-linked deaths in the region were care home residents.

With regard to comparative death statistics in 2019, the overall number of deaths registered in Northern Ireland in the week to June 5 was 304 - 33 more than the five year average of 271.

Over the last 10 weeks, 973 "excess deaths" have been registered in Northern Ireland. Excess deaths are deaths above the average for the corresponding period in previous years.