Dozens of NI care homes affected by coronavirus

By Rebecca Black, PA

Some 32 care homes in Northern Ireland have been affected by coronavirus, the health minister has said.

Robin Swann confirmed the figure on Tuesday which represents a rise from the announced figure of 20 last week.

The region's death toll of those who tested positive for Covid-19 rose by 10 to 134.

The Public Health Agency also confirmed 85 new positive tests for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland, bringing the total number of cases to 1,967.

Some have questioned why deaths with Covid-19 in care homes have not been included in daily updates.

Those updates give out the numbers of patients in hospitals who have died.

In a statement the department of health said it is not possible for the Public Health Agency's daily bulletins to accurately pick up on a daily basis deaths that occur outside of hospital settings.

"The process for registering deaths in the community takes a number of days.

"It involves a doctor completing a death certificate and then the death being registered by the General Register Office and the Northern Ireland Statistical and Research Agency (Nisra).

"It takes up to five days to register a death - and sometimes longer," the statement added.

The department also said that testing in care homes is being increased.

"Where care home residents and/or staff are symptomatic they are being tested, testing is being increased and further information on this important area of work will be provided later this week," it said in a statement.

Earlier the department of agriculture, environment and rural affairs announced it is set to test up to 1,000 samples a day in fight against Covid-19

The department's Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) will assist the health service to ramp up testing numbers in a newly-established consortium with Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University.

Agriculture minister Edwin Poots said when fully operational in a number of weeks it is expected that AFBI may test up to 1,000 samples per day.

"If there is one message I want to reinforce, it is that we are all in this together," he said.

"Through continued co-operation and collaboration and by supporting each other we will get through this."

Mr Swann expressed his thanks to "all those bodies who have stepped forward to assist with increasing our testing capacity will play a crucial part in enhancing our armoury as we fight against Covid-19".