Another 24 Covid-linked deaths recorded in latest weekly update

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

The fatalities, which occurred in the week ending April 22, take the total number of coronavirus-linked deaths recorded by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) to 4,553.

The 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 April 22, the department had reported 3,407 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 week’s lag.

The Nisra figure includes 3,165 deaths in hospital, 974 in care homes, and 414 at residential addresses, hospices or other locations.

Nisra reported that up to April 22, the deaths of 1,277 care home residents were linked to Covid-19, 28% of all coronavirus-related deaths.

Covid-19 was also mentioned on the death certificate of 22 of the 260 deaths registered in the week to April 22.

Some of the deaths registered in the week ending April 22 could have taken place before that week as fatalities can take days to register.

Those aged 75 and over account for 73.8% of the Covid-related deaths registered between March 19 2020 and April 22 2022.