There have been no further Covid-related deaths reported by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland today (Monday).
Covid cases continue to rise exponentially in Newry and Mourne, Belfast and Derry and Strabane.
According to the official dashboard there were a further 420 – up 81 – positive cases reported in the last 24 hours with 18 in Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon. There were 92 in Newry, Mourne and Down – the highest in NI – while Mid-Ulster District recorded 21.
A total of 2,398 individuals were tested.
There are 32 – up six on Friday – people in hospitals across Northern Ireland as a result of the virus, four of whom are in an intensive care unit – an increase of two.
There are seven Covid patients – up one – in the Southern Trust area, six of whom are in Craigavon Area Hospital, the other in St Luke’s, Armagh.
There are currently 14 ICU beds available in Northern Ireland.
The overall total number of deaths recorded by the Department remains at 2,156.
The Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area accounts for 285 deaths overall. Newry, Mourne and Down District accounts for 169 deaths while Mid-Ulster has registered 206 deaths.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin MLA John O’Dowd has said the the provision of walk-in vaccinations at South Lakes Leisure Centre in Craigavon “marks another big step on the road back to normality”,
“This should see a large uptake in vaccinations,” he said. “I would encourage people to take advantage of this opportunity.
“The last 16 months have been extremely challenging for us all, and many of the activities we took for granted became off-limits. With more and more people receiving the vaccine, the closer we become to getting back to doing the things we love, whenever we want to.
“Most importantly, it will alleviate the huge pressure that has been placed on our healthcare system, and a large uptake could reduce hospital admissions by up to 50%. The vaccine has been proven to be effective against the Delta variant, so there is race to prevent the variant from getting out of control. Every jab counts.”
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