Eight deaths, more than 2,000 new Covid infections in past week

The health ministry announced that eight people died from covid between February 17-23, along with 2,062 people testing positive.

The deaths are those of six men – aged 67, 82, 85, two 89-year-olds, and a 90-year-old – along with two women aged 86 and 91.

Their deaths raise the total fatalities attributed to covid to 1,305.

The ministry added that there are 48 covid patients.

During the past week, 69,346 tests were carried out which returned 2,062 positives – at a rate of 2.97 per cent. Rapid tests accounted for 67,528 such checks and returned 1,954 positives at a rate of 2,89 per cent.

Care homes carried out 4,709 tests and identified 64 positives. Primary schools did 639 checks and found four positives, while secondary schools saw 1,224 tests and 13 positives.