RESIDENTS in care homes have accounted for more than half of Covid-19 related deaths in the North of Ireland, official figures show.
The NI Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) has today published its latest statistical bulletin.
It shows that by last Friday, May 22, 380 (53.1 per cent) of the 716 deaths it recorded in total had been care home residents.
Of those deaths, just over 83 per cent (318) occurred in a care home with the remaining 62 taking place in hospital.
The numbers also show that deaths involving Covid-19 have fallen for the fourth week in a row.
Nisra records all fatalities where Covid-19 is mentioned on a death certificate.
For the first time it has published a breakdown of settings for deaths of care home residents.
The North’s Department of Health, which releases daily figures where deaths were confirmed by a test, had recorded 504 deaths by the same date of May 22.
Nisra’s report says of the 716 deaths it recorded by last Friday – 353 (49.3%), occurred in care homes; 318 (44.4%) occurred in hospital and eight (1.1%) occurred in hospices.
Thirty-seven (5.2%) took place at residential addresses or another location.
The deaths in care homes and hospices involved 76 separate establishments, Nisra reported.
People aged over 75 accounted for almost 80% of all COVID-19 related deaths here.
