Covid threat has not disappeared, chief medical officer warns

By Jonathan McCambridge, PA

The threat from Covid-19 has diminished but has not disappeared, chief medical officer Sir Michael McBride has said.

He was speaking on the National Day of Reflection, marking the second anniversary of the first lockdown.

To mark the occasion, a minute’s silence was observed at a number of locations across Northern Ireland at noon and an evening candlelit vigil is being held at Belfast City Hall.

A wall of reflection has been set up in Belfast’s Royal Avenue and a number of council buildings and landmarks will be lit yellow on Wednesday night.

Sir Michael encouraged everyone to show their respect by continuing to follow public health steps such as getting vaccinated, wearing face coverings in busy indoor settings and meeting outdoors.

He said: “It is right and proper that we reflect on the terrible losses and immense sacrifices of the past two years.

“It is also important that we all continue to guard against complacency regarding the virus. We must keep making safer choices in our daily lives and continue to follow public health advice. That’s how we protect the most vulnerable and help ease ongoing pressures on our health service.

“As we look back on the last two years, let me again pay tribute to everyone who has worked in health and social care and other key services during this most difficult period.

“Of course, we must have uppermost in our thoughts all those who have lost loved ones. We owe it to them to learn all the lessons from the pandemic and to build a more resilient health service for the future.”

He continued: “We should also reflect on the important advances that have been made – in terms of the successful vaccination programme, with more than 3.7 million jabs delivered in Northern Ireland, and the continuing roll-out of effective treatments.

“We did not have these advantages in the earlier phases of the pandemic. Now that we do, we can continue moving away from blanket measures to more focused responses – such as targeted testing and making sure the most vulnerable have timely access to treatments and vaccines.”

Sir Michael added: “The Covid threat has not disappeared but it has been reduced.

“While case numbers remain high, significantly fewer people are becoming seriously ill and requiring intensive care.

“While our hospitals remain under severe pressure, that is not solely due to the direct impact of Covid-19.

“Given how infectious the Omicron variant is, there is now an increased likelihood of the virus not being the main reason why some Covid-19 positive patients are in hospital.

“Of course, having Covid-19 in such circumstances will remain a complicating factor – in terms of severity of illness, length of hospital stay and the care provided.”

Meanwhile, there have been three further deaths of patients who previously tested positive for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health said.

Another 2,269 confirmed cases of the virus have been notified in the last 24-hour reporting period.

This morning there were 527 Covid-19 patients in hospital, with seven in intensive care.