The majority of Covid-19 deaths in Northern Ireland have occurred in care homes, official figures reveal.
Figures released by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) show that by last Friday, 380 (53.1%) of the 716 deaths it recorded in total had been care home residents.
Some 47 of those deaths occurred in the latest week of figures, from May 16-22, a further drop on the previous week of 62.
The comparative number of deaths reported daily by the Department of Health to May 22 was 504.
These figures are based on patients having previously tested positive for the virus, whereas NISRA figures are based on the information entered on death certificates, completed by medical professionals.
They may or may not have previously tested positive for the virus
New analysis provides deaths of care home residents in hospital. It shows that of the 380 deaths of care home residents involving COVID-19 in the year to date to 22nd May 2020, 83.7% (318) occurred in a care home, with the remaining 62 occurring in hospital.
Deaths of care home residents account for 53.1% of all COVID-19 related deaths.
Separate analyses based on the date of death registration, shows that the provisional number of total deaths registered in Northern Ireland in the week ending 22nd May 2020 (week 20) was 325, 71 fewer than in week 19 and 35 more than the five-year average of 290. Over the last eight weeks in total, 902 ‘excess deaths’ (deaths above the average for the corresponding period in previous years) have been registered in Northern Ireland, with the number of ‘excess deaths’ in the year to date to 22nd May totalling 643.
COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate for 53 (16.3%) of the 325 deaths registered in week 20, the fourth consecutive weekly fall in the number of registered COVID-19 related deaths and bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths registered in the calendar year 2020 to 705.
Persons aged 75 and over accounted for two-thirds (66.7%) of all deaths and 79.4% of COVID‑19 related deaths registered this calendar year up to 22nd May.
For COVID-19 related deaths, those with an address in Belfast Local Government District (LGD) accounted for 209 (29.6%) of the 705 deaths registered in the calendar year to 22nd May.
