Belfast trust cancels surgeries as another 17 people die in NI after contracting Covid19

By Q Radio News

An additional 17 deaths with Covid-19 have been reported in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health said.

Another 1,410 people have tested positive.

Hospital occupancy across Northern Ireland was put at 103%.

There are a total of 599 Covid-confirmed inpatients, 44 of whom are being treated in intensive care.

It comes as the Belfast health trust confirms it has made the difficult decision to cancel all planned inpatient surgery this week due to rising numbers of Covid cases.

“We are fully aware of the level of anxiety and concern Covid-19 has caused our service users since March 2020 and we apologise for the distress these further steps will cause,” the trust said in a statement.

“We will rearrange this surgery as soon as possible and we will do everything we can to ensure continuity of care throughout this challenging time.

“We are also actively considering moving many outpatient appointments to virtual appointments in order to reduce footfall on our sites and to encourage the public to stay home whenever possible.”