Covid-19: NI Covid death toll passes 2,000, says Nisra

There has been another record weekly rise in Covid-19 related registered deaths since the pandemic began, NI's statistics agency has said.

It said 153 Covid-19 related deaths were registered last week, bringing its total to 2,129 deaths.

By comparison, NI's Department of Health's toll to last Friday was 1,583.

The department bases its figures on a positive test result, whereas Nisra's figures are based on mentions of the virus on death certificates.

That means people may or may not have been confirmed to have contracted the virus prior to death.

Of the 2,129 deaths recorded by Nisra, 1,367 were of people in hospital, including 202 people normally resident in care homes.

Taking that figure, and the 656 who died in care homes, it means care home residents account for almost two-fifths of all Covid-19 related deaths (39.2%).

Thirteen deaths were recorded by Nisra in hospices (0.6%) and 150 at residential addresses (6.9%).

Deaths that occurred in care homes involved 163 separate establishments.

People aged 75 and over account for more than three quarters of all Covid-related deaths registered (77.1%) so far, according to Nisra.

The agency also said that two days in January have seen the joint highest number of Covid-19 deaths occurring in any one day since the start of the pandemic.

Twenty-eight deaths occurred on 7 and 11 January respectively.

On Thursday, the NI Executive backed proposals by the health minister to extend lockdown in Northern Ireland until at least 5 March.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride said the "sustained pressure on our health service" would probably last for another three to four weeks.