Northern Ireland Department of Health have published the latest data on COVID-19, with modelled positivity estimates for NI for the week up to 21 May 2022.
KEY FINDINGS
• During the most recent week of the study (15 May – 21 May 2022), it is estimated that 23,300 people in Northern Ireland had COVID-19 (95% credible interval: 16,800 to 31,500).
• This equates to 1.27% of the population (95% credible interval: 0.92% to 1.71%) or around 1 in 80 people (95% credible interval: 1 in 110 to 1 in 60).
• Modelling suggests the percentage of people testing positive continued to decrease in the week ending 21 May in Northern Ireland.
• The percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 decreased for those aged 40 years and over and the trend was uncertain for those aged under 40 years.
• Since March 2022, Omicron BA.2 infections have been the most common in all UK countries, comprising 96.1% of all sequenced COVID-19 infections (between 18 April and 15 May 2022).
COVID-RELATED DEATHS
Latest figures published by NISRA show that 14 deaths involving Covid-19 occurred in Week 20 ending 20 May 2022.
The total number of Covid-19 related deaths that occurred up to 20 May 2022 has now reached 4,618.
Of these, 3,212 (69.6%) took place in hospital, 981 (21.2%) in care homes and 425 (9.2%) at residential addresses, hospices or other locations.
Further analysis, which includes deaths of care home residents by place of death, shows that there was a total of 1,284 deaths of care home residents involving Covid-19 (including deaths that took place in a hospice, hospital, care home or elsewhere) occurring between 18 March 2020 and 20 May 2022. This accounts for 27.8% of all Covid-19 related deaths.
However, no assumptions can be made in relation to where the deceased contracted the disease.
Separate analysis, based on the date of death registration, shows that the provisional number of total deaths from all causes registered in Northern Ireland in the week ending 20 May 2022 (week 20, 2022) was 312, 10 less than in week 19 of 2022 and five more than the 5-year average (2017-2021) of 307.
Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate of 15 (4.8%) of the 312 deaths registered in week 20, one less than the previous week (16). The total number of Covid-19 related deaths registered since the start of the pandemic is 4,611 up to 20 May 2022.
Persons aged 75 and over accounted for 73.8% of the 4,611 Covid‑19 related deaths registered between 19 March 2020 and 20 May 2022.
Over the period of the pandemic, Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon and Mid-Ulster Local Government Districts have had higher proportions of registered Covid-19 related deaths (12.4% and 8.0% respectively) compared with their share of all deaths in Northern Ireland (10.4% and 6.7% respectively). Conversely, Ards & North Down and Fermanagh & Omagh both have relatively low shares of registered Covid-19 related deaths (1.9 and 1.8 percentage points lower than their respective share of all deaths).
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