Coronavirus contact tracing to start in North next week

It was largely stopped last month based on “sound public health considerations” but will become “crucially important” to overcome local pockets of infection, the North's CMO said.

The North's chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride

Beefed-up contact tracing to track the spread of coronavirus will begin in Northern Ireland next week.

It was largely stopped last month based on “sound public health considerations” but will become “crucially important” to overcome local pockets of infection, the North's chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride said.

Dr McBride said: “We will not test this virus into submission. This virus is not going away.

“We need to use our testing capacity intelligently.”

Intensive care units at present hold 38 Covid-19 patients and 40 non-Covid, and a total of 56 are being ventilated, hospital statistics showed.

Officials will work alongside colleagues in the UK and south of the border using similar digital platforms to share information and enhance tracing.

Earlier today, it was announced that another 13 patients who tested positive have died, Stormont’s health department announced, bringing total fatalities to 263.