Keep up with Armagh i

No further Covid-19 deaths with one positive case in last 24 hours

There have been no further Covid-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Department of Health.

The total number of fatalities remains at 551.

There has been one further positive test bringing the overall total number of cases to 5,761. There have been 25 positive tests in the last seven days.

The latest update came as Health Minister Robin Swann announced the commissioning of four additional training places in the Intensive Care medical specialty training programme, starting in September 2020.

The Intensive Care specialty has been in great demand throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and has needed significant support from anaesthetic teams and doctors from other specialties who have been redeployed into intensive care units to provide assistance.

Minister Swann said: “I am pleased to announce this expansion in the Intensive Care medical specialty training programme from this year. The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to ensure that the critical care service has enough consultant staff into the future.

“It will be necessary to cope with potential future increases in demand including those associated with demography, service developments and the ongoing risk of further surges in respiratory virus-related illness such as Covid-19.

“Securing the four additional training places will help address these challenges, and will ensure that we keep up with the rest of the UK, who also recently agreed to fund additional Intensive Care training places in light of the impact of Covid-19.”

Sign Up To Our Newsletter

Most read today

NEWRY – SHOP LOCAL

More in Northern Ireland