Eight further Covid-19 deaths and 1,030 cases reported in North

Eight further deaths of Covid-19 patients have been reported in Northern Ireland in the past 24 hours.

On Friday, the North's Department of Health also said an additional 1,030 positive Covid-19 cases had been recorded.

Meanwhile, the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) reported 38 deaths linked to Covid-19 in its latest weekly update.

The figures related to fatalities in the week from September 18th-24th.

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They take the total number of coronavirus-linked deaths recorded by Nisra to 3,443, higher than the 2,538 reported by the Department of Health to the same date.

The Nisra figure is drawn from different data sources and is always higher than the department’s total, as it provides a broader picture of the impact of Covid-19.

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 Covid data with a week lag.

The Nisra figure includes 2,345 deaths in hospital, 829 in care homes, 14 in hospices and 255 at residential addresses or other locations.

Nisra reported that up to September 24th, the deaths of 1,089 care home residents were linked to Covid-19, 31.6 per cent of all coronavirus-related deaths.

Separate analysis, based on the date of death registration, shows the provisional number of total deaths from all causes registered in Northern Ireland in the week ending September 24th was 351 – 23 less than the previous week but 55 more than the five-year average (2016-2020) of 296.

People aged 75 and over account for 74.7 per cent of the Covid-related deaths registered between March 19th, 2020, and September 24th, 2021. – PA