Covid-related deaths: 87 recorded in NI in past week

The number of Covid-related deaths registered in Northern Ireland has fallen slightly again in the latest weekly figures.

A total of 87 deaths were registered in the week up to Friday 11 December, according to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra).

That is 11 fewer deaths than the previous week.

It brings Nisra's total of registered Covid-related deaths to 1,567 since the beginning of the pandemic.

Nisra's figures are based on mentions of the virus on death certificates, so people may or may not have previously tested positive for the virus.

By comparison, the Department of Health's daily figures are based on a positive test result having been recorded.

Its comparative number of deaths for Friday 11 December was 1,120.

Of the 1,567 deaths recorded by Nisra, 949 were of people in hospital, including 137 people normally resident in care homes.

Taking that figure, and the 530 who died in care homes, it means care home residents account for just over two-fifths of all Covid-19 related deaths (41.8%).

Nine deaths were recorded by Nisra in hospices (0.6%) and 106 at residential addresses (7.0%).

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People aged 75 and over account for just over two-thirds of all Covid-19 related registered deaths (65.2%) so far, according to Nisra.

Almost a quarter (24.6%) of all Covid-19-related registered deaths have been of people with an address in the Belfast council area.

The provisional number of all deaths for the week ending 11 December was 366.

That is 21 fewer than the previous week (387) and 44 more than the five-year average of 322.

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

Nisra found 1,899 excess deaths have been registered in the past 37 weeks.