1,012 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Northern Ireland this afternoon, bringing the total number of positive cases in the North since the outbreak of the virus to 27,220.

A further five deaths have been confirmed in the last 24 hours by Northern Ireland’s Department of Health in its latest update.

There are currently 30 individuals in Northern Ireland with Covid-19 in ICU, and 228 patients in hospital.

Of the cases confirmed today, the highest increase was seen in Belfast, where 285 new cases have been recorded. 

Northern Ireland has reported daily case numbers above 1,000 on several occasions this week.

Yesterday, there were 1,031 new cases of Covid-19 and two deaths confirmed in Northern Ireland.

Friday saw a record daily high with 1,299 cases confirmed, surpassing the previous high on Wednesday of 1,217. 

From tomorrow, schools in Northern Ireland are closing for two weeks until 2 November as part of a series of measures seeking to curb the rising numbers.

Pubs and restaurants have been closed for four weeks with the exception of take-away and delivery services.