Surge in COVID-19 cases in Northern Ireland: Nurses were asked to work on Sunday and overnight to ease “extreme pressure”
BELFAST: The highly transmissible Delta variant, along with the easing of restrictions, has resulted in an increase in new coronavirus cases in Northern Ireland. Nurses have been asked to work on Sunday and overnight because health workers are under “extreme pressure” due to a rise in the number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals.
The Belfast Trust, which runs hospitals in the city, stated that two hospitals in Belfast, RVH and Mater, are under extreme strain due to an increase of COVID-19 patients, as well as emergency admissions.
“We are asking for help from our Trust nursing staff to work tonight & overnight,” the Belfast Trust said on Twitter.
Belfast was reported to have one of the highest incidences of coronavirus infection on the island last week. Over a two-week period, infection rates in several postcode areas in the capital exceeded 1,000 infections per 100,000 people.
The highest incidence rates were seen in the BT13 and BT12 postcodes, which had 1,950 and 1,450, respectively. Infections also surged in Whitebubby, Co Antrim (1,359) and the Ardoine area (936) in northern Belfast.
Northern Ireland has followed its own pandemic response strategy, with restrictions being eased more slowly than in England but quicker than in the Republic.
Over 1m people are fully vaccinated in North
About 70% of the adult population in Northern Ireland has received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, implying that over one million people have been fully vaccinated.
The milestone comes eight months after the first jab was administered in the region.
Northern Ireland’s Health Minister Robin Swann described the vaccination programme as an “outstanding success”.
“It has helped us take significant strides towards the more normal life that we all want to see return. Rolling out the vaccination programme has required a huge amount of hard work and dedication, so to all involved please accept my sincere gratitude,” he added.
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