The toll of coronavirus-linked deaths in the North has dropped for a sixth week in a row.
The latest figures from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) indicate that 44 Covid-19-linked deaths occurred in the week ending February 26th.
The weekly number has fallen steadily since Nisra reported 156 in the week January 9th to 15th.
Total coronavirus-related deaths in Northern Ireland up to February 26th stood at 2,816.
Nisra data provides a broader picture of the impact of Covid-19 than the death toll reported by Stormont’s Department of Health.
The department’s statistics focus primarily on hospital deaths and only include people who have tested positive for the virus.
The total number of Covid-19 related deaths occurring between the 18th March 2020 and 26th February 2021 has now reached 2,816. DoH figures for the same period show a total of 2,054 deaths.https://t.co/KmdVrvPf6p pic.twitter.com/1vZONxDSIS
— NISRA (@NISRA) March 5, 2021
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 department’s total stood at 2,054 on February 26th.
The statistics agency reports its Covid-19 data with a week lag.
Of the 2,816 deaths recorded by Nisra by February 26th, 1,837 (65 per cent) occurred in hospitals, 760 (27 per cent) in care homes, 14 (0.5 per cent) in hospices and 205 (7 per cent) at residential addresses or other locations.
The 774 deaths in care homes and hospices involved 177 separate establishments.
Nisra also provides analysis around the number of care home residents who have died, whether in their home or in hospital, having been transferred for treatment.
Up to February 26th, the deaths of 995 care home residents were linked to coronavirus, 235 of which occurred in hospital.
Care home residents make up about 35 per cent of deaths linked to Covid-19 in Northern Ireland.
In the week of February 19th-26th, 55 coronavirus-linked deaths were officially registered in Northern Ireland, some of which occurred before that week as deaths can take a number of days to register.
It is the fifth week in a row the number of registered Covid-19 linked deaths has fallen, from 182 in the week January 16th-22th.
