Coronavirus: Further 35 deaths reported in Northern Ireland

Thirty-five deaths linked to Covid-19 in Northern Ireland have been recorded in the latest weekly update.

The figure is up on the 28 fatalities in the previous week, according to data compiled by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra).

The latest deaths, which happened in the week ending December 17th, take the total of coronavirus-linked fatalities recorded by Nisra to 3,988.

The Nisra figure is drawn from different data sources and is always higher than the Department of Health’s total, as it provides a broader picture of the impact of the disease.

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On December 17th, the department had reported 2,949 deaths.

The department’s statistics focus primarily on hospital deaths and only include people who have tested positive for the virus.

Nisra obtains its data from death certificates on which Covid-19 is recorded as a factor by a medical professional, regardless of where the death took place or whether the patient tested positive.

The statistics agency reports its coronavirus data with a week lag.

The Nisra figure includes 2,777 deaths in hospital, 866 in care homes, 16 in hospices and 329 at residential addresses or other locations. The agency reported that up to December 17th, the deaths of 1,139 care-home residents were linked to the disease, 29 per cent of all coronavirus-related deaths.

The virus was also mentioned on the death certificate of 32 of the 363 deaths registered in the week to December 17th.

Some of the fatalities registered in the week December 11th to 17th could have taken place before that week, as deaths can take several days to register.

Those aged 75 and over accounted for 73.6 per cent of the 3,969 Covid-related deaths registered between March 19th, 2020 and December 17th, 2021.

Warning on hospital staff

Staff absences caused by the Omicron wave could seriously affect Northern Ireland’s health system in the weeks ahead, hospital bosses have warned.

The five health and social care trusts and the NI Ambulance Service said further reductions in the workforce would heap further pressure on already overstretched colleagues.

There are concerns the health system, and public services in general, could be hit hard if the numbers of workers absent as a result of catching the virus, or because they are self-isolating, surge as the Omicron wave peaks in mid-January.

Speaking on behalf of the six medical directors across the region, chief executive of the Northern Trust Seamus O’Reilly said: “We know how infectious this particular variant is and we know that case numbers are already high. Alongside the public health threat, we are also extremely concerned about the number of health and social care staff who might not be available to work due to Covid-19 infection or self-isolation at the very time when we will need them most.

“This could be the factor that causes most pressure on all services . . . It is vitally important that people only come to hospitals if their condition dictates that they need to be there.”

Dr O’Reilly said the situation meant patients being brought to hospital by ambulance may not necessarily be taken to their most local facility.

“Ambulance response times will also be longer and people may have to consider making their own way to hospital if they are able to do so,” he added.

Stressing that pressures in staffing would not be confined to acute hospitals, Dr O’Reilly said staff working in the community would also likely be affected.

“Overall, we hope the public will understand that the health and social care system is unlikely to be able to maintain some services due to inevitable staff shortages in the coming weeks. In that event we would appeal for their help and patience as staff do their best in what could be very difficult circumstances.” – Additional reporting PA