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Stormont\u2019s Health Minister has warned that Covid-19 is on the advance again in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\nStormont\u2019s Health Minister has warned that Covid-19 is on the advance again in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
Robin Swann told a Stormont media briefing he was now as worried about the virus as he had been in some time: \u201cWe are in danger of sliding down a very slippery and treacherous slope.\u201d<\/p>\n
His warning came as 41 new cases of the virus were announced in the North today with one new death reported as a result of the disease, while case numbers have almost doubled in the region in the past week.<\/p>\n
Mr Swann said the Stormont Executive would meet to consider renewed coronavirus restrictions on Thursday, which could include localized measures or region-wide steps.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe time is coming for the Executive to consider fresh and concrete actions to prevent the further spread of the virus,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said that though Northern Ireland had successfully repelled the \u201cnightmare scenario\u201d in the first wave of Covid-19, \u201cthe threat that stared us in the face back in March is still there but this is not the time to blink\u201d.<\/p>\n
Coronavirus media briefings resumed at Stormont today after a prolonged absence since the end of June, fronted by the Health Minister alongside the North\u2019s chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride and chief scientific adviser Professor Ian Young.<\/p>\n
Chief medical adviser professor Ian Young said there had been a strong and striking increase in Covid-19 transmission in the North since the beginning of July.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is something which, if it continues, would cause significant problems for us in the next months,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride said complacency had set in among some people: \u201cFor some, complacency has no doubt set in and there is a belief that the virus was not as bad as we previously thought.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr McBride said the flu vaccine program was being significantly expanded in Northern Ireland, warning of the increased threat to life if people contracted both flu and Covid-19 at the same time.<\/p>\n
He said local lockdowns and limits on people gathering were on the table: \u201cNeither Ian nor I will hesitate one moment at providing advice to the minister or to the Executive if we feel that restrictions, either at a local level or general restrictions, are required to again suppress the virus.\u201d<\/p>\n