Five more people have died in Northern Ireland having contracted Covid-19 according to the Department of Health.

There has now been 629 Covid-19 related deaths in Northern Ireland.

1,039 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Northern Ireland in the past 24 hours from 4,889 tests.

In the past seven days, the Department of Health has recorded 6,791 new cases of Coronavirus.

It brings the total number of infections here since the start of the pandemic to 29.992.

Some 289 people with Covid-19 are in hospitals with 32 in intensive care beds and 26 of whom are on ventilators.

There are now 17 ICU beds unoccupied across the region's hospitals.

The Department of Health data also showed 83 care homes here now have confirmed outbreaks of the virus, with 10 having suspected outbreaks.

The seven day infection rate per 100,000 for Northern Ireland is 360.9. The rate in Derry & Strabane is 669.7, with Belfast on 509.9 followed by Mid Ulster on 455.5, then Antrim and Newtownabbey on 314.0. 

Meanwhile, three more people have died of Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland, the National Public Health Emergency Team has confirmed. A further 1,167 cases of the virus have been reported.

New cases by district
Antrim & N’abbey +80
Ards & N Down +50
Armagh, Banbridge & C’avon +68
Belfast +255
Causeway Coast & Glens +65
Derry & Strabane +127
Fermanagh & Omagh +53
Lisburn & Castlereagh +82
Mid & E Antrim +45
Mid Ulster+121
Newry Mourne & Down+74 pic.twitter.com/5rFMGS95yr

— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) October 21, 2020

BREAKING:

5 new deaths in NI @healthdpt

629 deaths in total

1,039 new COVID cases in NI

6,791 infections in past week

29,992 since start of pandemic

289 COVID inpatients

32 in ICU - 26 on ventilators

93 care homes with confirmed/suspected outbreaks pic.twitter.com/oI7zuLF8la

— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) October 21, 2020