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Health Minister Robin Swann has condemned what he described as the “two-finger salute” given by those who do not comply with coronavirus regulations after 828 new cases were confirmed on Wednesday.
Swann attacked those who he said had chosen to ignore the rules after deciding, in a show of “deliberate complacency,” that the risk posed to them personally by the virus was low.
And he wondered why those who do not cover their faces in stores have decided to ignore health advice. “It is impossible to believe that some people are opposed to wearing a face cover in stores, it is just a piece of cloth,” she said.
It comes as 9,794 tests were carried out in the 24 hours starting at 10am Tuesday at the highest daily test count here, beating the rates of our closest neighbors in the Republic and the mainland UK. Some 4,417 people tested positive in the past seven days.
Swann warned: “The rise in infections is outpacing the increase in testing and the situation is still on the way to getting much worse.”
If we want to be in a better place for Christmas, we have to cut back on our contacts, he said, amid a surge in hospital admissions.
There are currently 106 Covid patients in Northern Ireland hospitals, compared to 42 a month ago, with 14 patients now in intensive care.
The last time NI had 14 intensive care beds confirmed by Covid was on May 19. Eleven of the 14 critically ill patients have been ventilated, meaning a machine manages their breathing, according to the latest figures, which are the highest since May.
One more person in Northern Ireland also died after testing positive for Covid-19 and 828 new cases of the virus were reported, the Health Department confirmed on Wednesday.
The death toll in the region is now 586, while the total number of cases diagnosed since the outbreak is 16,187.
The fatality was a man between the ages of 60 and 79 who died Tuesday in a Belfast hospital.
A total of 34 nursing homes are dealing with outbreaks of the virus.
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Belfast Telegraph
