THE weekly number of Covid-19 related deaths registered in the North of Ireland has fallen for a fifth week.
The NI Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) said the virus was mentioned on the death certificates of 55 people, in the week to Friday 26 February.
That is 23 fewer than the previous week, bringing the agency’s total to 2,806.
The Department of Health’s total for the same date, based on a positive test result being recorded, was 2,054.
Recording mentions of the virus on death certificates, where it may or may not have been confirmed by way of a test, is the reason why Nisra’s figures are higher than that recorded by the department.
Using the agency’s measure, there have been 1,837 Covid-19 related deaths in hospital, including the deaths of 235 care home residents.
Taking that figure, and the 760 who died in care homes, it means care home residents now account for just over a third (35.3%) of all Covid-19 related deaths.
Fourteen Covid-19 related deaths were also recorded in hospices (0.5%) and 205 were in other residential locations (7.3%).
Deaths in care homes and hospitals involved 177 separate establishments.
People aged 75 and over account for just over three-quarters of all Covid-19 related registered deaths (76.7%) between 19 March 2020 and 26 February 2021.
That proportion has been decreasing in recent weeks.
Seven local government districts have had a higher proportion of all Covid-19 related deaths compared with their share of all deaths.
Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon had the highest proportion of Covid-19 related deaths (12.1%) relative to its share of all deaths (10.4%) in Northern Ireland.
Nisra has recorded 187 deaths from Coronavirus in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area whereas the Department of Health to date has recorded, mostly in hospitals, 132 deaths within the council boundary.
The provisional number of deaths from all causes for the week ending 26 February was 351.
That is one fewer than the previous week (352), and two more than the five-year average for the time of year of 349.
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