No further Covid related deaths in Northern Ireland but hundreds of new cases

By Q Radio News

No further Covid-19 related deaths have occurred in Northern Ireland. 

It means the total number fatalities recorded by the Department of Health remains at 2,156. 

However another 420 positive coronavirus cases have been confirmed here since yesterday.

On Monday morning there were 32 Covid positive patients in hospital, of who four were in intensive care.

To date, 2,070,574 vaccines have been administered in total.

It follows a warning that there could be up to 400 patients in hospital with Covid-19 by the end of the summer. 

More than 500 new cases of Covid-19 were notified in Northern Ireland yesterday.

Chief Scientific Adviser Professor Ian Young said it is inevitable that there will be increasing numbers of cases over the summer, and urged all those in the 18-40 age group to get their vaccine to minimise the impact of the next pandemic peak.

“It is likely to peak some time in August, possibly early September, based on our modelling and the question is to what extent that will lead through to hospital admissions,” he told BBC Radio Ulster.

“Because of the success of the vaccine programme, the number of admissions will be less compared with previous waves but it can still be very substantial and at the moment we’re anticipating possibly up to around 400 patients in hospital with Covid towards the end of the summer.

“That’s why we need to push vaccination now, we can reduce that number substantially, probably by around half, if we can get up to 90% of the adult population vaccinated.”