Another 28 Covid-linked deaths in latest weekly figures

Twenty-eight deaths linked to Covid-19 have been recorded in Northern Ireland in the latest weekly update.

The toll is up three on the 25 deaths that occurred in the previous week, according to data compiled by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra).

The latest deaths, which occurred in the week ending March 25, take the total number of coronavirus-linked fatalities recorded by Nisra to 4,435.

The Nisra figure is drawn from different data sources and is always higher than the Department of Health’s total as it provides a broader picture of the impact of Covid-19.

On March 25, the department had reported 3,302 deaths.

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.

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

The Nisra figure includes 3,082 deaths in hospital, 953 in care homes, and 400 at residential addresses, hospices or other locations.

Nisra reported that up to March 25, the deaths of 1,250 care home residents were linked to Covid-19, 28.2% of all coronavirus-related fatalities.

Covid-19 was also mentioned on the death certificate of 33 of the 365 deaths registered in the week to March 25.

Some of the deaths registered in the week ending March 25 could have taken place before that week as fatalities can take a number of days to register.

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, and Mid-Ulster council areas have had higher proportions of Covid-related deaths (12.5% and 8.2% respectively) throughout the pandemic compared with their share of all deaths in Northern Ireland (10.4% and 6.7% respectively).