HEALTH OFFICIALS IN Northern Ireland have confirmed a further 472 cases of Covid-19 in its latest update this afternoon.

Additionally, Northern Ireland’s Department of Health has recorded nine more deaths.

The total number of Covid-19 cases since the first outbreak of the virus in the North now stands at 46,831, while 855 people have died.

Seven of the nine deaths reported today occurred in the last day.

Hospitals, where there are 415 patients with a confirmed case of Covid-19, are operating at 94% occupancy.

49 patients with Covid-19 are in ICU, and there are 147 active Covid-19 outbreaks in care homes across the North.

Between 13 and 14 November, Belfast and the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon district recorded a similar increase in figures, with 94 and 95 new cases respectively.

In Fermanagh and Omagh, 44 new cases were recorded in the same time period, with 37 in the Causeway Coast and Glens, 35 in Mid and East Antrim, and 34 in Derry City and Strabane.

On Friday, restrictions in Northern Ireland were extended by another week, with some sectors allowed to partially reopen next week.

Northern Ireland’s Minister for Health Robin Swann said that he wants the regulations to continue for another two weeks.

Swann told BBC News Northern Ireland’s Sunday Politics programme that he expects he may need to ask for further restrictions to be implemented before Christmas.

Yesterday, Northern Ireland recorded ten more deaths and 511 new cases of Covid-19.

In a written statement to the Northern Ireland assembly earlier this week, Swann said that restrictions had been effective at bringing down the spread of the virus.

“As a result of the ongoing personal and collective sacrifices of so many of our people and businesses over the last week, the number of cases has continued to decline, albeit at a slower rate than during the previous week,” Swann said.

“Rt for confirmed cases has however started to increase and is now between 0.8-0.9. We should not underestimate the danger presented by that,” he said.