Covid-19: Number of Covid-related deaths rises for fifth week in a row

The number of Covid-19 related deaths registered in Northern Ireland has risen for the fifth week in a row.

According to the government statistics agency Nisra, 82 deaths were registered in the week to Friday 6 November. 

That is 31 more than the previous week and takes the agency's total to 1,105. 

Nisra said the week to 6 November saw 17 Covid-19 related deaths in a care home setting.  That was five more than the previous week (12) and compares to totals last seen in May 2020.

In total, it has recorded 665 (58.3%) deaths in hospital, including the deaths of 102 people normally resident in care homes. 

Taking that figure and 394 who died in care homes, care home residents now account for just over two-fifths of all Covid-19 related deaths (43.5%). 

People aged 75 and over account for about two-thirds of all Covid-19 related deaths (64.9%). 

Nisra's figures are based on mentions of the virus on death certificates. 

The Department of Health's daily toll is based on a positive test result having been recorded.  Its comparative number of deaths for Friday 6 November was 772. 

Excess deaths

The provisional number of all deaths for the week ending 6 November was 386.

That is 18 more than the previous week and 90 more than the five-year average of 296. 

Excess deaths are those above what would normally be expected at the time of year, averaged over five years.

Nisra found 1,568 excess deaths have been registered in the past 32 weeks.