Covid death toll in Northern Ireland tops 4,000

Another 18 fatalities were recorded in the week December 25-31, according to data compiled by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra).

They take the total number of coronavirus-linked deaths recorded by Nisra during the pandemic to 4,024.

Of these, 2,806 (69.7%) took place in hospital, 868 (21.6%) in care homes, 16 (0.4%) in hospices and 334 (8.3%) at residential addresses or other locations.

The comparative number of deaths reported daily by the Department of Health (DoH) to December 31 was 2,928.

The Nisra figure is drawn from different data sources and is always higher than the Department of Health’s total, as it provides a broader picture of the impact of Covid-19.

The department’s statistics focus primarily on hospital deaths and only include people who have tested positive for the virus.

Nisra obtains its data from death certificates on which Covid-19 is recorded as a factor by a medical professional, regardless of where the death took place or whether the patient tested positive.

The statistics agency reports its Covid data with a week lag.

Nisra reported that up to December 31 the deaths of 1,141 care home residents were linked to Covid-19, 29% of all coronavirus-related deaths.

Covid-19 was also mentioned on the death certificate of 14 of the 243 deaths registered in the week to December 31.

Some of the deaths registered in the week December 25-31 could have taken place before that week, as they can take a number of days to register.

People aged 75 and over accounted for 73.5% of the 4,013 Covid-related deaths registered between March 19 2020 and December 31 2021.

Across the pandemic, the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, and Mid-Ulster Local Government Districts have had higher proportions of coronavirus-related deaths (12.4% and 8.1% respectively) compared with their share of all deaths in Northern Ireland (10.4% and 6.6% respectively).

Meanwhile, Ards and North Down and Fermanagh and Omagh both have relatively low shares of registered Covid-19 related deaths (2.2 and 2.0 percentage points lower than their respective share of all deaths).