Coronavirus NI: Death toll jumps to 1,476 after 16 more people die

In the last 24 hours another 759 tested positive for COVID-19.

And in the last seven days 9,591 people have tested positive.

Meanwhile a total of 89,459 people have now tested positive since the start of the pandemic.

There are now 759 patients in NI hospitals with Coronavirus - 52 of which are in ICU.

And there are now 150 patients with an active COVID-19 diagnosis in NI Care Homes.

The news comes as it is revealed that ten percent of operational PSNI officers are off work because they have either tested positive for Covid-19 or are self-isolating.

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd said it was causing a “significant pressure” on the organisation.

There has been a “bigger increase” in absence among frontline staff, he added.

However, ACC Todd said this is “not a surprise” because of increasing transmission rates in the community.

“We have obviously a well practised plan and contingencies around it that mean that we continue to provide a full range of services right across Northern Ireland,” he told The Nolan Show this morning.

“Police officers out 24/7 protecting people and protecting communities come into even more contact in that space,” Mr Todd explained.

The number of staff self-isolating is mostly due to contacts outside the workplace, although some have occurred at work, he added.

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