Covid mentioned on death certificates of 29 people in latest week’s figures

Members of one of the Western Trust’s Mobile Vaccination Teams visit Brooklands Care Home in Londonderry, as residents and staff receive their COVID-19 Booster Vaccination.

The figures include deaths where Covid was either a contributory factor or the main cause of death.

The total number of deaths from all causes in NI in the last week of September was 86 more than the five year average.

Figures from the NI Statistics and Research Agency show also show the total number of Covid-19 related deaths that occurred up to 1 October 2021 has now reached 3,476. Of these, 68% took place in hospital, 24% in care homes, 0.4% in hospices and 7.5% at residential addresses or other locations.

The comparative number of deaths reported daily by the Department of Health (DoH) to 1 October 2021 was substantially lower, at 2,565. The DoH count is based on patients having previously tested positive for the virus.

However the NISRA figures are based on the information entered on death certificates completed by medical professionals; These people may not have tested positive for the virus and therefore these deaths statistics include both confirmed and suspected cases. NISRA figures also record deaths where Covid-19 was either a contributor to or the main cause of death.

Further analysis shows that there was a total of 1,096 deaths of care home residents involving Covid-19 (including deaths that took place somewhere other than the care home) occurring between 18 March 2020 and 1 October 2021. This accounts for 31.5% of all Covid-19 related deaths. However, NISRA says no assumptions can be made in relation to where the deceased contracted the disease.

NISRA says the provisional number of total deaths from all causes in the week ending 1 October was 380 which was 86 more than the 5-year average (2016-2020) of 294.

People aged 75 and over accounted for 74.5% Covid‑19 related deaths registered between 19 March 2020 and 1 October 2021.

Over the period of the pandemic, Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon and Mid-Ulster Local Government Districts have had higher proportions of Covid-19 related deaths - 12.4% and 8.3% respectively - compared with their share of all deaths in Northern Ireland, 10.4% and 6.6% respectively.

Conversely, Ards & North Down and Fermanagh & Omagh both have relatively low shares of registered Covid-19 related deaths -2.7 and 2.1% lower respectively than their share of all deaths.

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