No further COVID-related deaths in Derry & Strabane - new NISRA report

Across Northern Ireland there were a further five deaths were COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate over the course of the week up to last Friday, bringing the total number of Covid-19 related deaths in NI to 850.

Of those 850 deaths, 29 have occurred in the Derry City & Strabane District Council area.

Of this total, 446 (52.5%) took place in hospital, 347 (40.8%) in care homes, eight (0.9%) in hospices and 49 (5.8%) at residential addresses or other locations. The 355 deaths which occurred in care homes and hospices involved 81 separate establishments.

The comparative number of deaths reported daily by the Department of Health to July 17 was 556. These figures are 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.

Further analysis, which includes deaths of care home residents in hospital, shows that of the 427 deaths of care home residents involving Covid-19 in the year to date to July 17, 2020, 81.3% (347) occurred in a care home, with the remaining 80 occurring in hospital. On this basis, deaths of care home residents account for 50.2% of all Covid-19 related deaths; however, no assumptions can be made in relation to where or when the deceased contracted the disease.

Separate analyses 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 July 17 2020 was 240, 35 less than in week 27 and 24 less than the 5-year average of 264.

Over the last 16 weeks in total, 997 ‘excess deaths’ (deaths above the average for the corresponding period in previous years) have been registered in Northern Ireland, with the number of ‘excess deaths’ in the year to date to July 17 totalling 738.

Persons aged 75 and over accounted for two-thirds (65.7%) of all deaths and 79.9% of Covid‑19 related deaths registered this calendar year up to 17th July.

For Covid-19 related deaths, those with an address in Belfast Local Government District (LGD) accounted for 243 (28.7%) of the 846 deaths registered in the calendar year to 17th July.