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 17, take the total number 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 Covid-19.

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       On December 17, 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 Covid 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.

       Nisra reported that up to December 17, the deaths of 1,139 care home residents were linked to Covid-19, 29% of all coronavirus-related deaths.

       Covid-19 was also mentioned on the death certificate of 32 of the 363 deaths registered in the week to December 17.

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

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