35 Covid-link deaths reported

The figure has remained at the same level across January in the data compiled by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra).

The latest deaths, registered in the week ending January 28, take the total number of coronavirus-linked fatalities recorded by Nisra to 4,181.

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.

On January 28, the department had reported 3,104 deaths.

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.

The Nisra figure includes 2,925 deaths in hospital, 890 in care homes and 366 at residential addresses, hospices or other locations.

Nisra reported that, up to January 28, the deaths of 1,171 care home residents were linked to Covid-19, 28% of all coronavirus-related deaths.

Covid-19 was also mentioned on the death certificate of 38 of the 336 deaths registered in the week to January 28.

Some of the deaths registered in the week ending January 28 could have taken place before that week, as fatalities can take a number of days to register.

Those aged 75 and over account for 73.2% of the Covid-related deaths registered between March 19, 2020 and January 28, 2022.