Three deaths and a further 877 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Northern Ireland in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of positive test results to over 6,000 in seven days.
According to the Department of Health, there are 140 confirmed Covid-19 cases in hospital, with 22 in ICU and 15 being ventilated.
There are 57 care homes with confirmed or suspected outbreaks.
Some 6,161 new positive cases of the virus have been detected in the last seven days bringing the total number of cases in to 21,035 since the beginning of the pandemic. There have been 591 deaths in total.
Health Minister Robin Swann has confirmed that a paper setting out chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride and chief scientific adviser Professor Ian Young’s advice on further restrictions had been presented to the first and deputy first ministers on Sunday night.
“I can confirm that I submitted a paper yesterday evening to the first minister and deputy first minister spelling out the detailed advice from the chief medical officer and the chief scientific adviser,” Mr Swann told the assembly.
“That paper recommends decisive action be urgently taken to save lives, prevent the health service being overwhelmed and protect non-Covid services to the greatest extent possible.”
Mr Swann's confirmation came following reports that Dr Michael McBride is advocating a six-week lockdown to halt spiralling infection rates.
Local NI infections rate:
— Tracey Magee (@Tracey_utv) October 12, 2020
Derry City & Strabane 971
Belfast 455.4
Mid-Ulster 388.4
BREAKING:
— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) October 12, 2020
3 new deaths
591 deaths in total
877 new COVID-19 cases in NI
6,161 new infections in past week
21,035 infections since start of pandemic
140 in hospital with COVID
22 in ICU - 15 on ventilators
57 care homes with confirmed/suspected outbreaks pic.twitter.com/AOTqCtimLA
