Four more coronavirus deaths in NI as hospital inpatients up by 37

Four more coronavirus deaths and 763 more positive cases have been reported by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland in the last 24-hour reporting period.

A total of 4,050 people were tested for Covid-19 during that time, according to the figures.

In the last seven days, 6,394 people have returned positive test results.

The official death toll rises to 606, but that figure is expected to be significantly higher when deaths in all community settings have been accounted for.All four deaths occurred within the 24 hour reporting period.       Department of Health: Covid-19 data dashboard

In Belfast, 1,289 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the last seven days.Breakdown of number of positive cases by age over the past 7 days:

Age 0-19: 1,101 casesAge 20-39: 2,532 casesAge 40-59: 1,873 casesAge 60-79: 692 casesAged 80+: 196 cases

Northern Ireland is to enter a period of intensified coronavirus restrictions on Friday after the Stormont executive announced closures of schools, pubs and restaurants.

Pubs and restaurants will close for four weeks, with the exception of takeaways and deliveries, while schools will close on Monday for two weeks, one of which will cover the half-term break.·        Stormont confirms 'vitally important' new Covid-19 restrictions

There have been 1,311 cases in the Derry and Strabane area in the past seven days, which has the highest number of cases per 100,000 population in the UK. 201 people are currently in hospital with coronavirus, up from 164 on Wednesday, with 24 in intensive care.

There are 64 confirmed care home outbreaks.