More than 40% of adult population vaccinated in the North

More than 40 per cent of the adult population of Northern Ireland has now been vaccinated, according to the North's Department of Health.

More than 641,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have so far been administered, which includes more than 596,000 first doses. Both first and second doses have been administered in all the North’s care homes.

Northern Ireland Minister for Health Robin Swann said on Tuesday that he expected the rate of inoculation to accelerate following the arrival of a “significant” delivery of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is expected this week.

Mr Swann said it would be the “largest delivery of a single vaccine that we’ve ever received in Northern Ireland... we’ll really see an escalation of our vaccine programme.”

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Speaking during a visit to the vaccination centre at the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald on Tuesday, Mr Swann said he expected the vaccination programme to be opened up to another age cohort soon.

The programme was expanded to include people aged between 60-64 last week.

Dr Alan Stout of the British Medical Association told the BBC that the programme was moving “rapidly” through the age groups, and he expected it would shortly be extended to the over 50s.

A mass vaccination centre at the SSE Arena in Belfast is due to open on March 29th.

Covid-19 deaths

Two more people with Covid-19 have died in Northern Ireland, according to the latest figures released on Tuesday by the North’s Department of Health.

It brings the total number of deaths to 2,079.

The death toll has fallen slightly in the last week, with 17 deaths recorded by the Department in the last seven days, compared to 19 the week before.

An additional 240 people tested positive for Covid-19. In the last week 1,269 people were confirmed to have the virus in the North, compared to 1,468 the previous week.

Across Northern Ireland the average number of cases per 100,000 people over the last seven days now stands at 67.4.

In the North’s hospitals 222 patients with coronavirus are receiving treatment, with 32 in intensive care.