Care home residents make up more than 53% of all Covid-19 related deaths in Northern Ireland, it has emerged.
The latest report from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) shows that by last Friday there was a total of 716 Covid-19 deaths recorded in the region. 380 of those were care home residents.
The Nisra report records all deaths where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate by the doctor who certified the death, whether or not COVID-19 was the primary underlying cause of death. The figures include cases where the doctor noted that there was suspected or probable coronavirus infection involved in the death. The NISRA figures also include all deaths that occur
outside hospital.
The weekly totals are higher than the relevant daily figures from the Northern Ireland Department of Health. The DOH has recorded 521 deaths to date, with three more deaths confirmed today. This record counts deaths that mainly occurred in hospital settings.
The number of confirmed cases in Northern Ireland has risen by 17, bringing the total number of cases since the outbreak began to 4,696.