Coronavirus vaccines: More than 250,000 in NI have received Covid jab

More than a quarter-of-a-million people in Northern Ireland have received their first Covid-19 vaccine, Arlene Foster has said.

The first minister said 263,735 people have received their first jab, with 25,539 people receiving both.

The R - or reproduction - number in the community is now sitting between 0.75 and 0.85.

Mrs Foster said it was not the time to "ease up" but "push on" against the virus with lockdown restrictions.

She said hospitals and intensive care units were still under significant pressure.

Speaking at the executive's weekly news conference, Mrs Foster added that the lockdown had made a "major difference" to infection rates and she urged people to continue following the advice.

Mrs Foster said the number of vaccines issued meant one-in-seven people had now received their first dose - about 14 percent of Northern Ireland's population.

She added that 90% of care homes residents have had their second dose and 90% of those aged over 80 have received their first jab.

On Thursday the Department of Health (DoH) confirmed a further 10 coronavirus-related deaths, and 412 new cases.

It brings the total number of deaths in Northern Ireland to 1,889.

Since the start of the pandemic, 105,637 people have tested positive for coronavirus.

There are 671 inpatients being treated for Covid, and 68 in ICU.

Of those, 63 are being ventilated.

Those aged 70 and over are receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab from their GPs while those aged 65 and over are invited to book an appointment at one of seven regional vaccination centres for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccination.

The DoH said people who have had vaccine jabs need to "keep strictly following all the measures that keep themselves and others safe from the virus."

"That includes staying at home and keeping their distance from people outside their households," it said.

Prioritisation was decided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises UK health departments on immunisation.

It is expected that mass vaccination will only become available to the general population from the summer of 2021.