Covid cases fall in Northern Ireland from record high but 11 more deaths

The Department of Health said there had also been 1,485 new confirmed cases of the virus in the last 24-hour reporting period.

A total of 2,408,221 vaccines have been administered.

Four deaths linked to Covid had been reported in NI on Saturday, and the department had said there were 1,612 new confirmed cases of the virus in the preceding 24-hour reporting period.

The total has fallen from Friday, when Northern Ireland recorded 2,397 cases, its highest number of Covid-19 cases in a day since the start of the pandemic.

Mr Swann said: “The latest figures on our Covid-19 dashboard are deeply concerning, both in terms of deaths and new cases.

“The Delta variant is taking its toll on Northern Ireland and it is vital that as many of our citizens as possible are vaccinated.”

Northern Ireland has the lowest vaccination rate in the UK, with more than 150,000 adults yet to be vaccinated.

No coronavirus deaths were recorded in Scotland in the 24 hours to yesterday, but 3,190 new cases were confirmed.

The death toll under the daily measure – of people who first tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days – remains at 8,070.

The daily test positivity rate is 10.8%, down from 10.9% the previous day.

A total of 338 people were in hospital on Saturday with recently confirmed Covid-19, up by 18 on the previous day, with 34 patients in intensive care, up two.

So far, 4,079,496 people have received the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccination and 3,556,947 have had their second.

UK-wide, the government said a further 104 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Saturday, and there had been a further 32,058 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases in the UK.

Meanwhile in America, the Reverend Jesse Jackson and his wife Jacqueline have been admitted to hospital after testing positive for Covid-19.

Reverend Jackson, 79, a civil rights leader, is vaccinated against the virus and received his first dose in January during a publicised event as he urged others to receive the inoculation.

He and his 77-year-old wife are being treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

“Doctors are currently monitoring the condition of both,” said a statement authorised by the couple’s son, Jonathan Jackson.

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