Covid-19 related deaths: week ending 8 October 2021
Covid-19 is still a serious threat to our health. And with an incoming winter flu there will be an added pressure. Latest figures published today by NISRA show that 30 deaths involving Covid-19 occurred in the week 2 October to 8 October 2021.
The total number of Covid-19 related deaths that occurred up to 8 October 2021 has now reached 3,512. Of these, 2,389 (68.0%) took place in hospital, 843 (24.0%) in care homes, 14 (0.4%) in hospices and 266 (7.6%) at residential addresses or other locations.
The comparative number of deaths reported daily by the Department of Health (DoH) to 8 October 2021 was 2,585. The DoH count is based on patients having previously tested positive for the virus, whereas the NISRA figures are based on the information entered on death certificates completed by medical professionals.
They may or may not have previously tested positive for the virus and therefore include both confirmed and suspected cases, and where Covid-19 was either a contributor to or the main cause of death.
Further analysis, which includes deaths of care home residents by place of death, shows that there was a total of 1,106 deaths of care home residents involving Covid-19 (including deaths that took place somewhere other than the care home) occurring between 18 March 2020 and 8 October 2021. This accounts for 31.5% of all Covid-19 related deaths. However, no assumptions can be made in relation to where the deceased contracted the disease.
Separate analysis, based on the date of death registration, shows that the provisional number of total deaths from all causes registered in Northern Ireland in the week ending 8 October 2021 (week 40, 2021) was 330, 50 less than in week 39 and 16 more than the 5-year average (2016-2020) of 314.
Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate of 28 (8.5%) of the 330 deaths registered in week 40, a decrease of 20 from the previous week. This weekly total is similar to that last observed at the start of August 2021. The total number of Covid-19 related deaths registered to 8 October 2021 has now reached 3,501.
Persons aged 75 and over accounted for 74.6% of the 3,501 Covid‑19 related deaths registered between 19 March 2020 and 8 October 2021.
Over the period of the pandemic, Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon and Mid-Ulster Local Government Districts have had higher proportions of Covid-19 related deaths (12.4% and 8.3% respectively) compared with their share of all deaths in Northern Ireland (10.3% and 6.6% respectively).
Conversely, Ards & North Down and Fermanagh & Omagh both have relatively low shares of registered Covid-19 related deaths (2.7 and 2.1 percentage points lower respectively than their share of all deaths).
Statistics on weekly deaths registered in Northern Ireland can be found at:Â
