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Some 32 care homes in Northern Ireland have been affected by coronavirus, the health minister has said.<\/p>\nSome 32 care homes in Northern Ireland have been affected by coronavirus, the health minister has said.<\/p>\n
Robin Swann confirmed the figure today which represents a rise from the announced figure of 20 last week.<\/p>\n
The North’s death toll of those who tested positive for Covid-19 rose by 10 to 134.<\/p>\n
The Public Health Agency also confirmed 85 new positive tests for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland, bringing the total number of cases to 1,967.<\/p>\n
Some have questioned why deaths with Covid-19 in care homes have not been included in daily updates.<\/p>\n
Those updates give out the numbers of patients in hospitals who have died.<\/p>\n
In a statement the North’s department of health said it is not possible for the Public Health Agency\u2019s daily bulletins to accurately pick up on a daily basis deaths that occur outside of hospital settings.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe process for registering deaths in the community takes a number of days.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt involves a doctor completing a death certificate and then the death being registered by the General Register Office and the Northern Ireland Statistical and Research Agency (Nisra).<\/p>\n
\u201cIt takes up to five days to register a death \u2013 and sometimes longer,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n
The department also said that testing in care homes is being increased.<\/p>\n
It said in a statement: “Where care home residents and\/or staff are symptomatic they are being tested, testing is being increased and further information on this important area of work will be provided later this week.”<\/p>\n
Earlier Northern Ireland’s department of agriculture, environment and rural affairs announced it is set to test up to 1,000 samples a day in fight against Covid-19<\/p>\n
The department\u2019s Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) will assist the health service to ramp up testing numbers in a newly-established consortium with Queen\u2019s University Belfast and Ulster University.<\/p>\n
Agriculture minister Edwin Poots said when fully operational in a number of weeks it is expected that AFBI may test up to 1,000 samples per day.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there is one message I want to reinforce, it is that we are all in this together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough continued co-operation and collaboration and by supporting each other we will get through this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Swann expressed his thanks to \u201call those bodies who have stepped forward to assist with increasing our testing capacity will play a crucial part in enhancing our armory as we fight against Covid-19\u201d.<\/p>\n