The Commissioner for Older People in Northern Ireland is urging the government to ramp up testing in nursing homes so deaths related to Covid-19 can be recorded accurately.
Across communities there is anecdotal evidence from families and care home owners of people dying of Covid-19, and Eddie Lynch says it is a "confusing picture in an unprecedented situation".
Earlier, the NI Department of Health confirmed there are now coronavirus cases in 32 care homes, up 12 from this day last week. There are 16,000 people currently living in care homes across the region.
Ten more people have died in hospital from Covid-19 in Northern Ireland and in total, there have been 134 recorded hospital deaths in relation to the virus.
There are 85 new cases bringing the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases there to 1,967.
To date 13,095 people have been tested in Northern Ireland, up 462 from yesterday.
Mr Lynch said it is important that all information is captured by the authorities, including outbreaks and clusters in care homes.
"Any statistics that doesn't include the deaths of older people is very worrying, and I think it gives the perception among some that the death of an older person in a care home isn't as valuable as somebody else. And that is completely wrong and unacceptable," he said.
Mr Lynch also believes gathering the data would provide important intelligence that the authorities need to be looking at it so they can trace any outspread of the virus.
"Going forward, we need to see government doing everything in its power to report on deaths in care homes and get a true figure for the cost of this terrible pandemic," he said.
Meanwhile, the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) has confirmed that from 17 April, the weekly deaths bulletin will give deaths by place of occurrence, ie hospital setting and non-hospital setting.
NISRA has been working with the department of health on providing further information on Covid-19 related deaths.
It publishes a weekly bulletin on all deaths registered in Northern Ireland, which has recently been amended to provide information on deaths related to Covid-19 registered across hospital and community settings.
In West Belfast, four people died from coronavirus in a care home where it is understood a lockdown had been imposed with no visitors allowed since before St Patrick's Day.
Last week, Health Minister Robin Swann said there were cases of Covid-19 in 20 care homes across Northern Ireland, but he did not provide any information on any deaths related to the coronavirus.
Northern Ireland's Chief Medical Officer told the BBC that details about the number of Covid-19 related deaths in care homes remain unclear.
Dr Michael McBride said the process of registering deaths was complicated, and being investigated by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.
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"Every death counts. Behind every death is a person. It is wrong to create an impression that those lives lost don't matter," he said.
In a statement this morning, the Public Health Agency said deaths are recorded of patients who have died within 28 days of a positive test result, whether or not Covid-19 was the cause of death.
"By definition therefore, deaths where tests were not taken will not be included. The deaths may have taken place in a hospital setting, or in the community or a care home, but must have been reported to PHA by the Health and Social Care Trust to be included in the report.
The statement adds that "this reporting process allows a 'real time' daily update of trends in Covid-19 deaths within each trust area".
Earlier, the PHA said it can take up to five days to register a death in the community, as it involves a doctor completing a death certificate and then the death being registered by the General Register Office and NISRA.
The PHA says it will continue to work with NISRA and others to ensure that all published statistics give as full a picture as possible on Covid-19.
Sinn Féin MP Paul Maskey said the situation at the care home in his constituency is probably replicated right across the island of Ireland despite safety measures being implemented.
He is concerned with how the government is collating all their information.
"I do believe that the department of health needs to be putting that information out there with regards to the number of people who are dying in our nursing homes," he said.
"Because medical experts need to learn what is happening now, they need to build that proper case up and they need to ensure that they have all the correct information.
"They need to learn. They need to learn now. But they also need to learn for the future in case a pandemic like this comes back again in a time ahead."
