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Vaccination has begun to drive down the rate of coronavirus infection of the most vulnerable in Northern Ireland, the region’s chief medical officer said.<\/p>\nVaccination has begun to drive down the rate of coronavirus infection of the most vulnerable in Northern Ireland, the region’s chief medical officer said.<\/p>\n
Nursing homes and the over 80s population have seen pressures easing, Dr Michael McBride added.<\/p>\n
Fresh supplies of the Oxford\/AstraZeneca inoculation have arrived and will be sufficient for the octogenarian and older population, Stormont Health Minister Robin Swann said.<\/p>\n
Dr McBride said: \u201cSome pressures on care homes are easing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat may be an early sign that the vaccine is beginning to have an impact.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inoculations of those aged over 75 are due to begin shortly, Patricia Donnelly, who heads the vaccination program, said.<\/p>\n
Almost 35,000 of those aged over 80 have been dosed.<\/p>\n
Dr McBride said: \u201cIt is not a race. Each system is different, some challenges each jurisdiction faces are different.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a long way to go in terms of the vaccine program.\u201d<\/p>\n
More than 154,000 doses have been administered in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
Fewer than 1 per cent have been wasted.<\/p>\n
Dr McBride said they wanted to vaccinate as many people as possible before easing social movement restrictions and warned any unwinding of curbs would be gradual.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cIt would be premature to believe that magically on February 6th when the current restrictions are due to come to an end it is back to business as usual.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe virus will not be where we need it to be to allow us to resume life as normal.\u201d<\/p>\n
A further 24 deaths with coronavirus have been recorded in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
According to Northern Ireland Department of Health figures, there have also been another 713 positive cases of Covid-19.<\/p>\n
Some 842 Covid-positive patients are being treated in hospital, 70 of whom are in intensive care units.<\/p>\n
The reproductive rate of virus spread has fallen below one, Dr McBride added.<\/p>\n
Officials from the Department of Health outlined the pressure the health service is facing.<\/p>\n
The number of hospital admissions has begun to peak, with intensive care cases expected to follow.<\/p>\n
Dr McBride added: \u201cWe do need to see very significant reductions in the pressure on our health service.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are not likely to see that for some significant weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said he was \u201cincreasingly concerned\u201d about the new highly-transmissible UK variant and estimated it was responsible for up to a third of cases.<\/p>\n
The contact tracing center dealt with 2,300 cases a day over the festive period.<\/p>\n
On occasion, contact tracers have stayed on the phone with people while medical help was organized.<\/p>\n
Director of contact tracing Liz Mitchell said: \u201cMost people are pleased to have been contacted, pleased to describe what their circumstances have been, get a bit of advice and sometimes if they are living alone then they are happy to chat and talk to people.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is very person-centered and compassionate group of people.\u201d<\/p>\n