Weekly Covid death toll continues to fall in NI

The death toll, as reported by Nisra, stands at 2,768. Credit: PA

A weekly measure of Covid-19 deaths in Northern Ireland has fallen again.

The latest figures from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency indicate that 61 Covid-19 linked deaths occurred in the week ending 19 February.

The weekly number of fatalities has fallen steadily in recent weeks.

There were 68 in the previous week analysed by Nisra, and 103 and 124 in the two weeks before that.

The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Northern Ireland up to 19 February stood at 2,768.

Nisra data provides a broader picture of the impact of Covid-19 than the death toll reported by Stormont's Department of Health.

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.

The Nisra total is therefore always higher than the department's, which stood at 2,026 on 19 February.

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

Of the 2,768 deaths recorded by Nisra by 19 February, 1,802 (65%) occurred in hospital, 753 (27%) in care homes, 13 (0.5%) in hospices and 200 (7%) at residential addresses or other locations.

The 766 deaths which occurred in care homes and hospices involved 176 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 19 February, the deaths of 983 care home residents were linked to coronavirus, 230 of which occurred in hospital.

Care home residents make up about 36% of all deaths linked to Covid-19 in Northern Ireland.

In the week of 13-19 February, 78 coronavirus-linked deaths were officially registered in Northern Ireland, some of which occurred before that week as deaths can take a number of days to register.