Twenty-six Northern Ireland Covid-linked deaths in latest weekly update

The fatalities happened in the week July 31 to August 6, according to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra).

They take the total number of coronavirus-linked deaths recorded by Nisra to 3,056.

The Nisra figure is drawn from different data sources from the toll reported by Stormont’s Department of Health.

It is always higher than the department’s total, as it provides a broader picture of the impact of Covid-19.

The statistics agency reports its Covid-19 data with a week lag.

The department’s death toll stood at 2,217 on August 6.

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.

Of the 3,056 deaths recorded by Nisra by August 6, 2,031 (67%) occurred in hospitals, 784 (26%) in care homes, 14 (0.5%) in hospices and 227 (7%) at residential addresses or other locations.

Nisra reported that, up to August 6, the deaths of 1,023 care home residents were linked to Covid-19.

The figure includes deaths that occurred in care homes and care home residents who died in hospital, having been taken there for treatment.

Care home residents make up about 34% of deaths linked to Covid-19 in Northern Ireland, according to Nisra.

In the week to August 6, 31 coronavirus-linked deaths were officially registered in Northern Ireland.

This is a slightly different figure from the death occurrence number.

Some of the fatalities registered in the week July 31 to August 6 could have occurred before that week, as deaths can take a number of days to register.