Covid-19: Statistics agency records NI's highest weekly death toll

Northern Ireland has recorded another record weekly rise in Covid-19 related registered deaths since the pandemic began, the NI statistics agency has said.

There were 182 deaths registered in Northern Ireland in the week up to 22 January.

That brings the death toll recorded by Northern Ireland's Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) to 2,311.

The Department of Health's figure up to the same date was 1,716.

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.

On that measure, it has recorded 1,487 deaths in hospital, including the deaths of 210 people normally resident in care homes.

Taking that figure, and the 687 deaths that occurred in care homes, it means care home residents account for just under two-fifths (38.1%) of all Covid-19 related deaths in Northern Ireland.

Covid-19 related deaths were also recorded in hospices (0.6%) and other residential locations (7.1%).

Department reports 22 more deaths

The daily Covid-19 statistics issued by the Department of Health, which bases its figures on a positive test, showed there had been 22 more virus-related deaths reported in the last 24 hours.

This brings its Northern Ireland total to 1,814.

Another 669 people have also tested positive for Covid-19.

There were 23 fewer patients in hospital with the virus, but the number of patients in intensive care remained the same at 67, while 54 patients are on a ventilator.

In the Republic of Ireland, there were 48 additional Covid-related deaths reported, meaning there have been a total of 3,214 deaths recorded.

There were also 1,254 new cases confirmed, bringing the country's total to 193,892.

According to Nisra's breakdown, people older than 75 accounted for more than three-quarters of all Covid-19 related registered deaths (77.4%) between 19 March 2020 and 22 January.

A fifth (20.6%) of all Covid-19 related deaths registered have been of people with an address in the Belfast council area.

The provisional number of deaths from all causes for the week ending 22 January was 474.

That is 31 more than the previous week, and 99 more than the 5-year average for this time of year (375).