Quarter of Covid-19 deaths in care homes/hospices

 

For the first time the figures released include deaths outside a hospital setting and, as of week ending April 10, saw the total number of fatalities in the North rise by 39 deaths to 157.  

 

The figures published today by NISRA (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) show that of the 157 deaths involving coronavirus, 109 (69 per-cent) occurred in hospital, 41 (26 per-cent) occurred in care homes and hospices and seven (four per-cent ) occurred at private addresses. The 41 deaths in care homes and hospices involved 23 separate establishments

 

These figures include suspected cases of coronavirus where as the previous figures published by the Public Health Agency (PHA), use a different method and had recorded 118 deaths by the same date. The PHA records deaths where the deceased had a positive test for coronavirus and died within 28 days, whether or not Covid-19 was the cause of death. NISRA figures count 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. 

 

 

There were 435 deaths registered by the General Register Office in Northern Ireland during the week ending April 10, 2020, one more than in week 13, and 140 more than the five-year average of 295. Seventy-six (17.5 per-cent) of these deaths mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate, bringing the total number of Covid-19 related deaths registered in the calendar year 2020 to 141.

 

However, because of the rapidly changing situation, the report also provides provisional, updated totals of deaths occurring (based on date of death) up to April 10, taking account of the latest available death registrations up to April 15, 2020. 

 

On this basis: There were 157 deaths mentioning Covid-19 on the death certificate that occurred in total, up to April 10 but were registered up to April 15.

The comparative number of death notifications reported by the Public Health Agency (PHA) to April 10 was 118.

 

There have been 4,821 deaths registered in the year-to-date, 29.2 per-cent of which (1,410) were classified as ‘respiratory’. The number and proportion of respiratory deaths is lower in the year-to-date than the five-year average of 1,531 and 31.9 per-cent.