Over 800 deaths in NI attributable to Covid-19 with dementia most common preexisting condition

MAY 2020: Presbyterian chaplain Rev Lindsay leads an Act of Remembrance, at Altnagelvin hospital for all who had lost their battle with COVID-19 during the first wave.

Between March 1 and September 30, 2020, there were 902 Covid-19 related deaths registered in the north. Covid-19 was the underlying cause of death (that is, the disease or injury which initiated the train of morbid events leading directly to death) for 807 deaths (89.5% of Covid‑19 related deaths).

Pre-existing conditions are defined as any mention on the death certificate of a condition that pre‑dated or was independent of Covid-19. The average number of pre-existing conditions on average was 2.32. There were no pre-existing conditions for 77 of the 902 Covid-19 related deaths (8.5%).

Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease was the most common pre-existing condition, appearing in 327 of the 902 Covid-19 related deaths (36.3%). The next most common pre-existing conditions were hypertensive diseases (180) and diabetes (165 deaths).

The main pre-existing condition, the one most likely to cause death in the absence of Covid-19, was dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (297), followed by ischaemic heart diseases (81) and chronic lower respiratory diseases (67 deaths).

During October and November 2020, a further 504 Covid-19 related deaths were registered, of which 37 deaths had no pre-existing conditions. At present, there is insufficient information to identify the number and type of pre-existing conditions over this period.

Over the entire period between March 1 and November 30, 2020, there were 1,406 Covid-19 related deaths registered in NI, including 114 deaths without pre-existing conditions.