BREAKING: Highest daily number of cases, with 320 new infections and no new deaths

By Peter Moor

320 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Northern Ireland in the past 24 hours - that is the highest number of daily infections since the start of the current testing regime.

In the past seven days, the Department of Health has recorded 1,702 new cases of Coronavirus.

It brings the total number of infections here since the start of the pandemic to 11,269.

No more people have died in Northern Ireland having contracted COVID-19 according to the Department of Health.

There has been 578 COVID-19 related deaths in Northern Ireland according to the Department.

This number mainly covers hospital related deaths unlike the figures released by NISRA on Friday which said 896 people had died in connection with COVID-19.

NISRA uses information based on death certificates whereas the Department of Health only records people who die after testing positive for the virus.

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The Department of Health data also showed 27 care homes here now have confirmed outbreaks of the virus, with 12 having suspected outbreaks.

203 care homes now have closed outbreaks.

The dashboard also provides information on the intensive care bed capacity throughout Northern Ireland

8 patients with COVID-19 are now in intensive care, with 75 ICU beds being occupied by other non-COVID-19 patients.

Therefore, there are now 13 ICU beds unoccupied across the region's hospitals.