15 more coronavirus-related deaths recorded in NI
Fifteen more people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in Northern Ireland, according to the Department of Health – 11 of them in the last 24-hour reporting period.
It brings the official death toll to 825, although that figure is expected to be significantly higher when deaths in all community settings are accounted for.
The latest figures show there have also been 548 new cases out of 2,892 individuals tested.
In the last seven days, there have been 3,835 cases, including 702 in the Belfast area.
There are currently 435 people with Covid-19 being treated in hospitals across Northern Ireland – 46 in intensive care and 30 on ventilators.
According to the Department of Health, bed occupancy is at 101%.
Altnagelvin, Antrim Area, the Causeway, the Mater, the Royal Victoria, the South West Acute, and the Ulster Hospital are all operating over capacity.
There are also 144 confirmed outbreaks in care homes and a further three suspected outbreaks.
Read more: NI’s coronavirus restrictions to be extended by one week
Meanwhile, UTV can reveal that a part-time PSNI officer has become the first serving police officer to die in Northern Ireland after contracting the virus.
A PSNI statement said: “We are sad to confirm that a member of staff has passed away. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this time.”
The most recent statistics showed 561 officers absent from a force of almost 7,000 and 477 of them self-isolating.