Eleven more people with Covid-19 have died in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health has said

Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill has urged the public to follow new lockdown regulations which start from Boxing Day after confirmation a new Covid-19 variant is present.

“We were advised that this variant is likely to have been present here for some time,” she said.

“Unfortunately this is the confirmation we have been expecting and that’s why it is critical we all get the maximum benefit from the lockdown that starts on St Stephen’s Day.

“There is no current evidence to suggest that this current variant of Covid causes more serious illness or a higher mortality rate or that it affects vaccines and treatments. Vaccines have already started rolling out to those healthcare staff working on the front line and to residents in our care homes.

“My appeal is for everyone to strictly follow the Covid regulations and the public health advice and be very careful in all that we do over the Christmas period.”

Professor Ian Young said he is “very concerned” about the new variant form of the virus because it is transmitted more easily.

“The impact of that, if it became established in Northern Ireland, for example at the moment R is probably sitting between 1 and 1.2, and if we had the variant form and we were all behaving in the same way, R would be closer to 1.6 and 1.8, and that would have severe consequences,” he said.

He said there would likely be stronger restrictions for longer if the variant form of the virus became the dominant strain.

“At the moment I think it is only circulating in fairly small amounts, and what we can do to prevent it becoming the dominant strain is for everybody in the next six weeks to adhere really strictly to the mitigations and restrictions that are in place,” he said.

“That gives us the best opportunity of preventing this variant form from becoming established until vaccination begins to take significant effect in our population.”