Covid-19: Seven more coronavirus-related deaths in NI
Seven further coronavirus-related deaths have been recorded in Northern Ireland since Friday, taking the Department of Health's total to 1,039.
A further 451 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed, taking the total to 54,628. There are now 394 people with Covid-19 in hospital, 33 of them are in intensive care. There are outbreaks of the virus in 114 carehomes. The first vaccines will be administered in NI at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast on Tuesday. On Saturday, a further 13 deaths were documented in the Republic of Ireland, bringing the country's total to 2,099. The Republic has had 73,948 cases after another 456 positive tests were recorded. First NI vaccinations this week Nearly 25,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech arrived in Belfast on Friday - it is hoped it will be the first of several deliveries this month. Health Minister Robin Swann said vaccinators will be the first to receive the vaccine, followed by priority groups. Confirmation of which groups will get the vaccine first is due next week. The chair of the British Medical Association in Northern Ireland said that care home residents, elderly people and healthcare workers would be among the first to get the vaccine, but it was a "fluid situation". Dr Tom Black told BBC News NI that GPs in Northern Ireland are planning to deliver Covid-19 vaccinations from 4 January, pending approval of the AstraZeneca vaccine. "The GPs surgeries have the 4th January in their diaries to start vaccinating, if we can get the AstraZeneca vaccine approved and hopefully we will," he said. "The advantage is that it can be kept at fridge temperature, rather than -70 [like the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine], so it's much more transportabe." Last week, in a letter sent to GP practices, doctors were advised that "there is a need to plan for the earliest possible commencement" of the programme. GPs have been asked to identify all patients who are 80 or over on 1 January 2021 and do not reside in a care home to prepare for the roll out. 'Don't hug your granny yet' Dr Black said it was important that people did not let their guard down too soon. "It takes four weeks for you to develop immunity from the first vaccine," he said. "It is 21 days until the second vaccine and then another seven days until you're immune, so no one will be immune until January and it'll take until Easter until we have a big cohort of people all immune. "It's really important during that time that we continue throughout that time to wear masks, wash hands, keep our social distance and stay away from our elderly family members - don't hug your granny yet. "I know we're fed up hearing that, but don't hug your granny until she is immune." The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine must be stored at about -70C and will be transported in special boxes, packed in dry ice. Once delivered, it can be kept for up to five days in a fridge. On Wednesday the UK regulator the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said the jab, which offers up to 95% protection against Covid-19 illness, is safe. It is thought Northern Ireland will receive about 1.5 million doses in total. The UK is the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for widespread use.