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New figures suggest that the number of coronavirus-related deaths in Northern Ireland could now be more than 600.
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) released its weekly newsletter today.
It says that in the week through last Friday, May 8, there were 599 Covid-19-related deaths.
The official figure from the Health Department the same day was 432, almost 40% lower than the NISRA total.
The two sets of figures are compiled in different ways.
Daily figures produced by the department include deaths that occurred within 28 days of the death of Covid-19 positive tests.
Weekly statistics released by NISRA cover all deaths where the coronavirus was recorded on a death certificate.
In many of those cases, the deceased may or may not have been screened for the disease, but a health professional believes he had symptoms.
Almost half of the 599 deaths in the NISRA newsletter occurred outside of hospital settings.
It says there have been 294 coronavirus-related deaths in hospitals, accounting for 49.1% of the total.
Another 269 deaths, or 44.9%, occurred in 71 nursing homes. Five, or 0.8%, were in hospices.
The remaining 31 deaths (5.2%) were in residential addresses or other places.
People age 75 and older accounted for 78.2% of all Covid-19 related deaths recorded in Northern Ireland as of May 8.
The latest NISRA figures show that, as of May 8, 2020, there had been 599 COVID-19 related deaths, according to records as of May 13, 2020. Health Department figures for the same period show a total of 432 deaths. https://t.co/KmdVrvPf6p pic.twitter.com/NUZGOuvnIQ
– NISRA (@NISRA) May 15, 2020
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