Coronavirus: Two deaths, 917 new infections announced on Friday (updated)

Two people died from Covid and 917 new infections were detected after 112,532 tests, a positivity rate of 0.81 per cent, the health ministry said on Friday.

The deaths concern two men, both 91.

The ministry said 168 people were being treated in hospital with the virus, 62 in serious condition. Just over 76 per cent of those hospitalised were not vaccinated.

Covid has claimed the lives of 627 people since March last year while the number of recorded cases has reached 149,580.

The ministry also announced the detection of 63 cases of the Omicron variant of the virus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 96.

Of the 62 people in serious condition, 22 were intubated, six were in an ICU off ventilators, and 34 in high dependency units.

Fourteen post-covid patients remained intubated in serious condition.

Fifty-eight new infections concerned arriving passengers at the two airports. They were detected in 6,661 samples that underwent mandatory PCR testing.

Of the rest, 223 infections were among 4,076 samples tested privately and 14 in 218 tested at state hospital labs.

Private labs and pharmacies reported 467 infections in 72,156 samples tested with rapid antigen tests. A further 155 infections were detected in 29,413 samples tested by units taking part in the state’s screening programme.

No figures concerning close contacts were available on Friday.

The ministry also announced the detection of 63 new cases of the Omicron variant among 192 samples collected between December 11 and December 19.

Eighty of the samples were collected at the two airports and nine from residents of people quarantined at Eden rehabilitation centre.

The remaining samples were collected from the community.

Thirty-four Omicron cases were among the airport samples, 22 in those taken from the community, and seven from people at Eden.

Thirty-three Omicron cases had already been detected, all linked with a school trip to Glasgow.