Coronavirus: NI deaths fall for ninth week

The number of Covid-19 linked deaths in Northern Ireland is continuing to fall.

In the week up to 3 July, government statistics agency Nisra said the virus was mentioned on the death certificates of 11 people.

That is one fewer than the previous week.

Up to last Friday, that means there has been a total of 839 Covid-19 related deaths. The Department of Health's daily figure, based on positive test results, was 554.

It is the ninth week since Nisra began reporting that the figure has gone down.

There have been 437 deaths in hospital (52.1%), which includes the deaths of 78 people normally resident in care homes.

Taking into account that number, and the 345 who died in care homes, it means the deaths of people normally resident in care homes account for half (50.4%) of all Covid-19 related deaths.

Eight people (1.0%) have died in hospices and 49 people (5.8%) have died at residential addresses or other locations.

People aged 75 and over account for 80% of all Covid-19 related deaths.

People with addresses in the Belfast council area account for 242 or 29% of all coronavirus-related deaths.

Excess deaths

The provisional number of all deaths up to Friday 3 July was 289 - six fewer than in the previous week and one more than the five-year average.

That five-year death rate is used to compare the number of weekly deaths that would normally be recorded at this time of year.

Nisra also recorded the number of "excess deaths" registered in the past 14 weeks was 1,001.

Their measure captures all deaths linked to coronavirus - those involving confirmed infections which feature in the health department's daily figures, as well as the suspected cases in which coronavirus is mentioned on the death certificate.

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