THERE are believed to be at least 12 cases of the Indian variant of coronavirus in Northern Ireland.
The number of cases is understood to have increased from the seven confirmed by health officials last week. It remains unclear whether the additional cases are linked.
The BBC yesterday reported there were at least 12 cases, but the Public Health Agency would not confirm where they were found or how many were linked to travel.
It also remains unclear if any of the people to test positive for the strain had received a Covid-19 vaccine or if they had tested positive for the virus before.
The variant that was first detected in India may spread more quickly and while numbers are relatively low, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday said he is "anxious" about the variant and was "ruling nothing out" to tackle it.
It comes as figures from the Department of Health show one more person has died in Northern Ireland after contracting Covid-19.
It brings the death toll to 2,149.
There were 99 positive cases reported yesterday, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 121,323.
Hospital inpatients were at 46, with three people in intensive care, all of whom are on ventilation.
Some 1,515,760 vaccines have been administered in Northern Ireland.
It came as new research has shown that at least six in 10 adults in the UK are now likely to have Covid-19 antibodies.
The estimates range from 63.5 per cent of adults in Northern Ireland, 59.2 in Scotland, 69.3 per cent in England and 63.2 per cent for Wales.
The presence of Covid-19 antibodies implies someone has had the infection in the past or has been vaccinated. It takes between two and three weeks after infection or vaccination for the body to make enough antibodies to fight the virus.
Antibodies then remain in the blood at low levels, although these levels can decline over time to the point that tests can no longer detect them.
They reflect the ongoing impact of the vaccine rollout across the UK, in particular the increasing number of people who have received both doses and are now fully vaccinated.
In the Republic last night, no further coronavirus deaths were reported.
There were another 456 confirmed cases of the virus with 111 Covid positive patients in hospital, of whom 36 were in intensive care.
The Republic was last night on course to pass a milestone two million vaccine doses.
Around 27 per cent of people have now received their first vaccine dose, while 14 per cent have received both doses, making them fully vaccinated.
