50 deaths in the North's latest weekly Covid bulletin

Fifty deaths linked to Covid-19 occurred in the week October 23 to October 29, according to the latest Nisra figures (Niall Carson/PA)

Fifty deaths linked to Covid-19 occurred in Northern Ireland in the latest week subjected to statistical analysis.

The fatalities reported by Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) happened in the week October 23 to October 29.

The figures show a continued recent upward trend in deaths – 49 were recorded by Nisra in the previous week and 35 in the week before that.

The latest deaths take the total number of coronavirus-linked fatalities recorded by Nisra to 3,666.

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 Covid-19.

On October 29, the department had reported 2,697 deaths.

The weekly release containing data on deaths registered during the week ending 29 October and information on Covid-19 related deaths was published this morning. https://t.co/EU4PP3phmp pic.twitter.com/SMKurs5erT

— NISRA (@NISRA) November 5, 2021

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 2,512 deaths in hospital, 852 in care homes, 14 in hospices and 288 at residential addresses or other locations.

Nisra reported that, up to October 29, the deaths of 1,123 care home residents were linked to Covid-19, 31% of all coronavirus-related deaths.

In the week to October 29, 50 coronavirus-linked deaths were officially registered in Northern Ireland.

Some of the fatalities registered in the week October 23 to October 29 could have occurred before that week, as deaths can take a number of days to register.

Those aged 75 and over accounted for 74.2% of the 3,641 Covid-19 related deaths registered between March 19 2020 and October 29 2021.