The first death of a child aged under 15 linked to Covid-19 has been recorded in Northern Ireland.
There have been 3,015 deaths related to the virus in the region since the start of the pandemic, according to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra).
Just over three quarters (76 per cent) of all Covid-linked deaths were among those aged 75 years and over.
“However, the latest week’s registration figures include the first Covid-19 related death in Northern Ireland within the under-15 age group,” Nisra said in a statement on Friday.
Since the start of the pandemic there have been 27 Covid-linked deaths in the 15 to 44 age bracket, 262 among those aged 45 to 64 years and 436 involving people aged between 65 and 74 years.
The weekly release containing data on deaths registered during the week ending 30 July and information on Covid-19 related deaths was published this morning. https://t.co/VsLcKBcafh pic.twitter.com/nvRGjc2pVq
— NISRA (@NISRA) August 6, 2021
The latest weekly bulletin of Covid-19 figures has revealed 19 deaths in the most recent period.
The figures cover the period from July 24th to 30th and are drawn from different data sources than the toll reported by Stormont’s Department of Health. The figures are always higher than the department’s total as it provides a broader picture of the impact of Covid-19.
The comparative number of deaths reported daily by the Department of Health to July 30th in the region was 2,189.
The department’s statistics focus primarily on hospital deaths and only include people who have tested positive for the virus.
The statistics agency reports its Covid-19 data with a week lag. 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.
In the week to July 30th, 18 coronavirus-linked deaths were officially registered in Northern Ireland.
This is a slightly different figure to the death occurrence number.
Some of the fatalities registered in the week July 24th to July 30th could have occurred before that week, as deaths can take a number of days to register.
It was the largest number of Covid-19 deaths registered in a week since April.
