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The figures indicate that Covid-19 was the cause of death in most of the death certificates mentioned in
Covid-19 was the second most common cause of death in Northern Ireland when the lockdown was in full force, according to official records.
In all, 4,684 people died in Northern Ireland between April 1 and June 30.
Of these deaths, 732 were caused by Covid-19. That is almost 16% of all deaths in that time.
By comparison, there were 1,177 deaths from cancer (25%), while heart disease caused 410 deaths (9%).
The figures are in the latest quarterly birth, death and marriage registration report from the government statistics body, the Northern Ireland Statistical and Research Agency (Nisra).
Extra kills
Nisra produces these reports four times a year, allowing us to compare the causes and rates of death with previous years.
The Department of Health regularly publishes separate figures; however, most of them refer to deaths in hospitals.
This latest report focuses on the second quarter (Q2) of 2020, between April 1 and June 30.
As it coincides with the lockdown period, it is useful when trying to get a better idea of the effect of the pandemic in Northern Ireland.
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There were almost 1,000 more deaths between April and June than could be expected
The consistency of the quarterly reports means that it is easy to obtain a five-year average for the number of deaths in a given quarter.
For the five years between 2015 and 2019, the average number of deaths between April and June is 3,736.
Therefore, it is reasonable to expect around this number of deaths for the same period in 2020.
However, the latest figures show that 4,684 people died in the equivalent period from April to June, almost 1,000 more than expected.
The vast majority of these additional deaths were due to Covid-19.
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Nisra’s figures also indicate that the vast majority of people who had Covid-19 mentioned on their death certificate died from the virus itself, rather than other medical conditions.
The statistical body has been publishing weekly updates on Covid deaths since the end of March. In these updates, Nisra looks at what a doctor puts on a death certificate.
If Covid-19 is mentioned, it is recorded.
This is a valid way to measure Covid deaths, but there is always the possibility that a person will die with Covid, but the virus did not actually cause death.
This latest report is different: it focuses on the cause of death.
When the two counting methods are compared, it shows that 91% of the people named Covid-19 on their death certificate actually died from the virus.
Figures elsewhere
Statistical agencies in England, Scotland and Wales also often produce these quarterly bulletins on births, marriages and deaths.
However, the Office for National Statistics is not producing quarterly reports, as “due to ongoing surveillance on the coronavirus pandemic, the ONS is concentrating on weekly and monthly bulletins.”
National Records of Scotland recently released their April-June report. It shows that 20% of deaths in Scotland were caused by Covid-19 in those three months.
The Central Statistical Office of the Republic of Ireland has yet to publish its April-June report.
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