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Covid-19: Eleven more coronavirus-related deaths in NI



Eleven more coronavirus-related deaths have been reported by Northern Ireland's Department of Health, bringing its death toll to 1,050.

It also confirmed 419 new positive cases of Covid-19 on Sunday.

A vaccination programme is due to begin within 48 hours, but Health Minister Robin Swann urged people to remain "ultra-vigilant" about infection risks.

He said vaccinations would "take many months to complete" and NI's progress depends "on available supplies".

Northern Ireland is 10 days into a two-week circuit breaker, which has seen non-essential retail close for the first time since the summer.

The current restrictions are due to be eased on Friday, but the department said the minister "would not hesitate to immediately recommend a further tightening of restrictions,
should Covid-19 cases spike again and threaten to overwhelm the health service".

"This is a time for maximum self-discipline - a time for us all to be ultra-vigilant," Mr Swann said.

The first vaccinations against coronavirus in Northern Ireland are set to take place on Tuesday morning.

'Optimism could lead to people letting their guard down'
Nearly 25,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arrived in Belfast on Friday and it is hoped that several more deliveries will arrive this month.

"There is great optimism with the first of the Covid-19 vaccines now approved and its long roll-out beginning this week", Mr Swann said in a statement on Sunday.

"But there are genuine fears that this optimism could lead to people letting their guard down much too soon.

"It is vital to remember that this vaccination programme will take many months to complete and our rate of progress will depend on available supplies. It is a long-term
undertaking."

The health minister added that although the vaccine meant the pandemic was entering a new phase, he warned the danger was "far from over".

Vaccinations timeframe
"Every time we reduce our contacts, even by one, it is one less opportunity for the virus to spread, one less risk of a hospital admission," the minister said.

The department's latest statistics show there are currently 413 people in hospital in Northern Ireland with Covid-19.

Of those inpatients, 30 of them are in intensive care units and 24 on ventilators.

There are also 114 outbreaks of Covid-19 in care home across Northern Ireland.

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