Eight Covid-linked deaths in latest weekly figures

Eight deaths linked to Covid-19 have been recorded in Northern Ireland in the latest weekly update.

The fatalities, in the week ending August 12, take the total number of coronavirus-linked deaths recorded by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) to 4,815.

The 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 include only 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’s lag.

The Nisra figure includes 3,358 deaths in hospital, 1,002 in care homes and 455 at residential addresses, hospices or other locations.

Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate of 16 of the 301 deaths registered in the week to August 12.

Some of those deaths could have taken place earlier as they can take days to register.

Those aged 75 and over accounted for 73.9% of the Covid-related deaths registered between March 19, 2020 and August 12 this year.