Covid-19 registered deaths decrease again in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has recorded the lowest weekly number of Covid-19 related deaths registered since early October 2020.

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) said the virus was mentioned on the death certificates of seven people in the week ending 23 April.

That is a decrease of nine on the previous week's toll.

It brings Nisra's total of Covid-19 related registered deaths to 2,949.

The Department of Health's total for the same date, based on a positive test result being recorded, was 2,141.

Recording mentions of the virus on death certificates, where it may or may not have been confirmed by way of a test, is the reason why Nisra's figures are higher than those recorded by the department.

On Nisra's measure, there have been 1,951 Covid-19 related deaths in hospital, including the deaths of 236 care home residents.

Taking that figure, and the 772 who died in care homes, it means care home residents now account for just over a third (34.1%) of all Covid-19 related deaths.

Those figures have remained unchanged in recent weeks.

Covid-19 related deaths were also recorded in hospices (0.5%) and other residential locations (7.3%).

People aged 75 and over account for just over three-quarters of all Covid-19 related registered deaths (76.1%) between 19 March 2020 and 23 April 2021.

Armagh City Banbridge and Craigavon (12.1%) and Mid-Ulster (8.3%) local government districts have now recorded higher proportions of all Covid-19 related deaths compared with their share of all deaths in Northern Ireland (10.4% and 6.5% respectively).

The provisional number of deaths from all causes registered in the week ending 23 April was 305.

That is 16 more than the previous week, and seven less than the five-year average for the time of year of, which is 312.