Covid-19: Nisra records decrease in virus-related deaths

There has been 2,974 Covid-19 related deaths in NI, according to Nisra

Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificates of three people in Northern Ireland in the week up to Friday 28 May.

That's a decrease of one on the previous week, according to the government statistics agency Nisra.

It brings the agency's total of Covid-19-related registered deaths to 2,974.

The total number from the Department of Health's for the same date, based on a positive test result being recorded, was 2,153.

Nisra's figures are higher because it records mentions of the virus on death certificates, where it may or may not have been confirmed by way of a test.

On the agency's measure, two-thirds of Covid-19-related deaths have happened in hospital (1,971), including the deaths of 237 care home residents.

Just over a third of all Covid-19-related deaths happened in care homes

Taking that figure, and the 774 who died in care homes, it means care home residents account for just over a third (34%) of all Covid-19 related deaths.

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 28 May 2021.

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Armagh City Banbridge & Craigavon (12.0%) and Mid-Ulster (8.4%) local government districts have now recorded higher proportions of all Covid-19 related deaths, compared with their share of all deaths in Northern Ireland (10.3% and 6.5% respectively).

The provisional number of deaths from all causes registered in the week ending 28 May 2021 was 265.

That is 54 less than the previous week, and 19 less than the five-year average for the time of year, 284.