NI likely to face another Covid-19 surge come the autumn - Michael McBride

Number of penalty / warning notices issued by PSNI nearing 10,000-mark

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Subscribe              Mar 15, 2021           Dear reader It has been a difficult few days for the Oxford University/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine with a number of countries having now paused administration of its doses.  The most significant instance of this in Northern Ireland terms has been in the Republic of Ireland over the weekend,meaning the Republic's already troubled vaccination programme has hit yet another barrier.  Northern Ireland's Health Minister Robin Swann has said he learned of the move to suspend the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the Irish Republic through the media. Mr Swann said it was "disappointing" that he had not been given advance notice of the announcement. Crucially however, the AstraZeneca vaccine received strong backing from within Northern Ireland on Monday, with first, the Province's chief medical officer having the vaccine administered while also declaring it to be completely safe.  Dr Michael McBride's intervention was undoubtedly significant in terms of increasing confidence in the jab among the Province's population, especially with it having been announced on Monday morning that over-50s here are now eligible to book a vaccination appointment.  Arlene Foster, the first minister, has also rowed in behind the vaccine, declaring that, as someone over 50, she will be booking her vaccine appointment this week.  Mrs Foster also warned that people who wish to leave lockdowns behind will need to take the vaccine.  The news comes as the Province reported a single coronavirus related death on Monday, with another 121 positive cases of the virus confirmed.  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 here.             Michael McBride: NI likely to face another Covid-19 surge come the autumn           Northern Ireland is likely to face another Covid-19 surge in the autumn, the Province's chief medical officer has warned.                 Number of penalty / warning notices issued by PSNI nearing 10,000-mark   Fresh PSNI figures show close to 200 penalties were meted out to people accused of breaking coronavirus rules in less than a week – with the total now approaching the five-figure mark.           UK regulator sees 'no reason' to discontinue Oxford vaccine - as Germany, France and Italy suspend use   The UK's medicines regulator has said there is "no reason to discontinue" the use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, despite several countries suspending its use.           NI Schools could remain open during summer holidays - Germany suspends use of Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine over blood clot concerns   The Education Minister, Peter Weir, has told MLAs that he intends to present a paper to the Northern Ireland Executive detailing how keeping schools open for the duration of the summer holidays could help the thousands of schoolchildren whose education was disrupted this year by Covid-19 lockdowns.           'People need to take AstraZeneca jab to leave lockdown behind'   People need to take the AstraZeneca vaccine to leave lockdown in the rear view mirror, Northern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster has said.           Ignore vaccine fears and attend for your jab, say top NI doctors   Leading doctors have urged people in Northern Ireland to put aside concerns about the AstraZenaca vaccine and attend appointments for it.           'No doubt' further waves of Covid will occur - what the UK's national statistician said   Professor Sir Ian Diamond, head of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), has said he has "no doubt" that further waves of Covid infections will occur in the autumn.           One more death with Covid-19 in NI as 121 people test positive with virus   One more person has died after testing positive for Covid-19 in NI, the latest Department of Health dashboard has revealed.           Now everyone over the age of 50 in Northern Ireland can apply for their vaccine   Those aged 50 and above can book their Covid-19 vaccination in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health said.           Education Minister pledges to end confusion over phased school return   Northern Ireland Education Minister Peter Weir has pledged to end the "confusion" over the phased return to schools.           WHO gives approval for Johnson & Johnson single dose Covid vaccine - what it means for UK   The World Health Organisation (WHO) has given approval for the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) for emergency use in all countries.                 View more news

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