Reopening of NI schools 'should be given highest priority' says MP

Getting the COVID-19 vaccination is the most important thing you can do to help protect your community against serious illness, alongside following public health advice. When enough people get vaccinated, it's harder for a disease to spread to those who are most vulnerable.

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Subscribe              Feb 8, 2021           Dear reader, There is an increasing feeling that we are starting to turn a corner in the battle against Covid-19 right across the United Kingdom.    Northern Ireland passed the 300,000 milestone for vaccinations on Friday and today the Public Health Agency released details of one of our most famous sportspeople, Dame Mary Peters, receiving her vaccine.   It's absolutely crucial to the fight against Covid-19 that as many people as possible take the vaccine, and 81-year-old Dame Mary was keen to emphasise that getting the jab was "the easiest thing".    It was sad to learn that another 11 people with the virus have died in Northern Ireland, although the number of new cases of Covid-19 was the lowest in several months at 293 over the last hours.    It remains to be seen what the success of the vaccination programme and the falling number of cases mean for the reopening of Northern Ireland's schools. Carla Lockhart, the Upper Bann MP, has called for the reopening of schools to be the "highest priority" at the Stormont Executive next week.      Alistair Bushe   Editor Want total access to all of our online content? You can subscribe to our website, newsletter.co.uk for just £1 a month for 3 months - and it couldn't be easier.     Signing up will get you faster-loading articles, fewer adverts and access to exclusive content and events when we run them. To learn more, visit our subscriptions page.             'It was the easiest thing' - Lady Mary Peters on receiving her first Covid-19 jab           Getting the COVID-19 vaccination is the most important thing you can do to help protect your community against serious illness, alongside following public health advice. When enough people get vaccinated, it's harder for a disease to spread to those who are most vulnerable.                 Cancer cases undiagnosed due to impact of Covid   New research by Queen's University Belfast and the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry has highlighted the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on diagnoses of cancer of the oesophagus (foodpipe) and stomach, in addition to Barrett's oesophagus, which is a condition that can lead to oesophageal cancer.           UK music venues will trial 'health passports' to bring live events back - how it works   New digital 'health passports' are set to be trialled at select UK music venues as part of efforts to reopen them safely.           Mary Lou McDonald: UK should share any spare vaccines with Republic   The UK should share any spare coronavirus vaccinations with Ireland, the Sinn Fein president has said.           School reopening 'highest priority' when Executive discusses lifting lockdown says MP   A DUP MP has called for the reopening of schools to be given 'the highest priority' when the Northern Ireland Exectuive looks at Lockdown restrictions next week.           Death toll rises to 1,943 as 598 patients fight COVID-19 in our hospitals   Another 12 people have died with COVID-19 in NI, the Department of Health have revealed.           No formal contracts awarded to hotels - a week before new quarantine policy starts   No formal contracts have yet been awarded to hotels to quarantine arrivals in the UK from countries on the "red list", the government has admitted.           Police miss three dates to respond to Jamie Bryson Covid rules legal challenge   Police have missed three proposed dates to respond to a legal challenge on whether officers have the power to enter private homes to enforce Covid rules.           Coronavirus cases amongst NI over-80s down by nearly half in past fortnight, latest figures show   The number of people testing positive for coronavirus in the most vulnerable age group has dropped by more than half in a fortnight, the News Letter can reveal.                 View more news

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