Over half total coronavirus related death toll in NI were care home residents

New figures released today show that there have been 19 deaths involving Covid-19 occurred in the week from May 30 to June 5, bringing the total of Covid-19 related deaths in NI to 779.

Of this total, 395 (50.7%) of the tragic deaths related to coronavirus took place in hospital.

A total of 334 (42.9%) occurred in care homes, eight (1.0%) in hospices and 42 (5.4%) at residential addresses or other locations.

The 342 deaths which occurred in care homes and hospices involved 78 separate establishments.

The comparative number of deaths reported daily by the Department of Health to June 5 was 537. These figures are based on patients having previously tested positive for the virus, whereas 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 404 deaths of care home residents involving Covid-19 in the year to date to June 5, 2020, 82.7% (334) occurred in a care home, with the remaining 70 occurring in hospital. On this basis, deaths of care home residents account for 51.9% 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 5th June 2020 (week 22) was 304, 12 fewer than in week 21, and 33 more than the five-year average of 271.

Over the last ten weeks in total, 973 ‘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 June 5 totalling 714.

Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate for 20 (6.6%) of the 304 deaths registered in week 22, the sixth consecutive weekly fall in the number of registered COVID-19 related deaths bringing the total number of Covid-19 related deaths registered in the calendar year 2020 to 774.

Persons aged 75 and over accounted for two-thirds (66.6%) of all deaths and 79.7% of Covid‑19 related deaths registered this calendar year up to 5th June.

For Covid-19 related deaths, those with an address in Belfast Local Government District (LGD) accounted for 228 (29.5%) of the 774 deaths registered in the calendar year to June 5.