No further coronavirus-related deaths recorded in NI
No further coronavirus-related deaths have been recorded in Northern Ireland in the last 24-hour reporting period, according to the Department of Health.
It means the official death toll as recorded by the department remains at 2,154, although that figure is expected to increase significantly when deaths in all community settings have been accounted for.
The latest figures also show there have been 54 new positive cases, out of 1,706 individuals tested.
In the last seven days, there have been 523 positive cases.
In Co Down, a precautionary testing programme is underway in the Kilkeel area in a bid to halt the spread of the Delta variant, which was first detected in India.
The Public Health Agency said it had identified "a small number of probable cases".
Just over 1,000 tests were carried out over the weekend and 15 positive cases were detected.
They have all been contacted and advised to self-isolate in line with public health guidance.
According to the PHA, robust contact tracing has also taken place to identify their contacts and ask them to self-isolate and get tested.
An additional mobile testing unit is being placed at Kilkeel High School to test all pupils and staff as a precautionary measure as a number of positive Covid-19 cases have been linked to the school.
Dr Bríd Farrell, from the PHA, said: “The Public Health Agency wants to thank everyone who has come forward to date for testing.
“All positive test results are now being assessed for a preliminary indication of whether a variant is present or not and then submitted for whole genome sequencing to confirm the type of variant. This process can take several days to complete.”
Meanwhile, there are currently 16 people with Covid-19 being treated in hospitals across Northern Ireland – with just one of them in intensive care and not on a ventilator.
However, hospitals remain under pressure with bed occupancy said to be at 103%.
Altnagelvin, Antrim Area, the Causeway, Lagan Valley, the Royal Victoria, the South West Acute, and the Ulster Hospital are all operating beyond capacity, with the Ulster particularly stretched at nearly 14% over capacity and the Causeway at nearly 10% over capacity.
There are also two confirmed and active outbreaks of Covid-19 in care homes.