Covid-19-related deaths in NI rise for sixth week

The weekly number of Covid-19-related deaths registered in Northern Ireland has risen for the sixth week in a row.

According to the government statistics agency Nisra, 96 deaths were registered in the week to Friday 13 November.

That is 14 more than the previous week and takes the agency's total to 1,201.

Nisra's figures are based on mentions of Covid-19 on death certificates while the Department of Health's daily toll is based on a positive test result having been recorded.

The health department's comparative number of deaths for Friday 13 November was 844.

Meanwhile, latest data from the Office for National Statistics suggests infection rates are decreasing in Northern Ireland and Wales, and levelling off in England and Scotland.

Nisra has recorded 715 (58.3%) deaths in hospital, including the deaths of 102 people normally resident in care homes.

That figure is unchanged from the previous week.

Taking that figure and 423 who died in care homes, care home residents account for just over two-fifths of all Covid-19-related deaths (42.8%).

Other deaths were recorded in hospices (0.7%) and residential addresses (6.5%).

Deaths in care homes and hospices involved 105 separate establishments.

People aged 75 and over account for about two-thirds of all Covid-19-related deaths (65%).

The provisional number of all deaths for the week ending 13 November was 406.

That is 20 more than the previous week and 109 more than the five-year average of 297.

Excess deaths are those above what would normally be expected at the time of year, averaged over five years.

Nisra found that 1,676 excess deaths have been registered in the past 33 weeks.