COVID-19 Update - 2 further deaths and 174 new cases detected

By Q Radio News and PA

There have been two further deaths of patients who previously tested positive for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland.

Another 174 confirmed cases of the virus were recorded by the Department of Health in the last 24-hour reporting period.

On Tuesday morning, there were 159 Covid-positive confirmed inpatients in hospital, of whom 14 were in ICUs.

The Department of Health #COVID19 dashboard has been updated.

174 individuals have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Sadly, 2 more deaths have been reported.https://t.co/1T7yam4O9f pic.twitter.com/WwhiQ7dd3U

— Department of Health (@healthdpt) March 23, 2021

It comes as Stormont deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill said balancing the need to protect lives and livelihoods over the past year had been a “nightmare”.

“I think there’ll be plenty of time for reflection, I think today is about individuals, their loss, their experience and we’re focused on that,” she said.

“We’re still fighting the pandemic, we’re still in the middle of it, we’re still having to chart our way through it and it’s very challenging, very difficult to always trying to get that balance.

“I’m quite sure whenever we reflect there’ll be lots of things we all could have done differently.

“For now, my focus is firmly on the future, trying to get us out of this pandemic, this space that we’re in right now.

“But, I mean, there is learning. I’ve learned every day in this pandemic, you know constantly trying to balance lives and livelihoods the whole way through this has been been a nightmare at times to be honest.”

15 people were reported to be in ICU with Covid-19 yesterday, however today that sits at 14.