Northern Ireland

Coronavirus: 13 further deaths and 1,985 new cases as rise in Covid-19 figures blamed on Christmas socialising

Hospitals continue to operate under extreme pressure as the coronavirus pandemic grips the north. Picture by Hugh Russell
Hospitals continue to operate under extreme pressure as the coronavirus pandemic grips the north. Picture by Hugh Russell Hospitals continue to operate under extreme pressure as the coronavirus pandemic grips the north. Picture by Hugh Russell

Another 13 people have died after contracting Covid-19, the Department of Health has said in its daily update on the pandemic.

There were 1,985 more positive cases recorded in the last 24 hours.

In hospitals, 561 patients have tested positive for the virus. Of these, 44 are in intensive care with 37 on ventilators.

Six hospitals are operating beyond capacity; Altnagelvin, Antrim, the Mater, Royal Victoria, South West Acute and the Ulster Hospital.

A spike in hospital admissions is not expected to peak until the final two weeks of January.

Health Minister Robin Swann gave further numbers around the vaccination programme in Northern Ireland:

  • Around 50,000 people have received a first dose;
  • 91% of care home residents have been vaccinated;
  • 30,000 healthcare staff have been jabbed;
  • Some 504 boxes of AstraZeneca, representing 50,400 doses, have been received;
  • 45 GP practices have been given the vaccine to administer to their staff and the over-80s;
  • From the start of the next week all practices will have received 100 doses;
  • By January 18 more doses are expected to be received from AstraZeneca.

Frontline hospital doctors have expressed their fury over delays in receiving second doses of Covid vaccines - claiming some managers were prioritised ahead of them.

Earlier today, Stormont's chief scientific adviser Professor Ian Young warned that people need to follow tough new rules carefully to prevent spread of the highly infectious variant of coronavirus.

He attributed the rise in cases mainly to increased socialising before fresh lockdown measures were brought in after Christmas rather than the virus mutation prevalent in southern England.

The Stormont executive had originally said up to three households would be able to mix between December 23 and 27 with a six-week lockdown from December 26 to curb rising cases.

A  nursing chief warned the relaxation could lead to an "unrelenting tsunami" of cases.

As the number of hospital patients with Covid-19 began to rise, the executive later agreed to reduce the five day Christmas bubbling arrangements in the north to just one day.

With schools currently closed and some transfer tests cancelled in a further bid to curb the spread of the virus, Education Minister Peter Weir today announced GCSE, AS and A-level schools examinations in Northern Ireland will not go ahead this year.

Meanwhile, a record 7,836 confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been reported today in the Repubilc, along with an additional 17 deaths linked to the virus.

There are now 954 Covid-19 patients in Irish hospitals. The number of people in intensive care units with the disease is now 88, an increase of 12 in the past 24 hours.

There were 105 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.

Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said: "The country is in a serious phase of this surge of Covid-19. There is evidence of an increasing presence of the UK variant in Ireland. All counties have an upward trajectory of the disease.

"There is concerning escalation of admissions to hospital and ICU. We are very likely to see escalating mortality and ICU admissions in the coming days and weeks.

"It has never been more important, throughout our experience of this pandemic, to stay home and only meet people outside of your household for essential purposes, always adhering to public health advice; physical distance, hand hygiene, cough/sneeze etiquette, wearing a face covering."