Covid-19: Belfast's SSE Arena to be mass vaccination centre

Belfast's SSE Arena will be used as a mass vaccination centre for Northern Ireland's adult population, Health Minister Robin Swann has confirmed.

It is expected the arena will open in April as a facility for those aged 60 and under who have not already been vaccinated.

Regional centres and GPs' clinics will still offer vaccines.

Four more people died with Covid-19 in Northern Ireland in the past day, according to the latest statistics.

Department of Health figures, released on Monday, take the Covid-19-related death toll to 2,036.

Another 187 positive cases have also been confirmed in the past day.

In the Republic of Ireland, there has been one more death linked to Covid-19 and 686 new cases in the past day.

A total of 156 people with Covid-19 are in hospital intensive care units.

Meanwhile, a total of 488,826 vaccines have been administered in Northern Ireland.

The figure comprises 458,030 first doses and 30,796 second doses.

As the vaccine roll-out continues in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health said plans were underway to allow community pharmacies to offer the jab.

The car park of the SSE Arena is already being used as a drive-through Covid-19 test centre.

Mr Swann said it was "yet another significant step forward" in the vaccination rollout.

"The programme is continuing at pace and we are likely to being vaccinating priority group seven, followed quickly by all other priority groups starting in early April," he said.

"This will see everyone 60 and under being offered the vaccine - a monumental next step in a population-wide vaccination programme."

On Sunday, the Department of Health said Northern Ireland's vaccination programme had been "making good progress and is ahead of schedule".

It came after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said all UK adults should be offered a first dose of the vaccine by the end of July, compared to a previous target in September.

Under the accelerated vaccination target announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, all UK adults aged 50 and over would be offered their first vaccination by 15 April.

In addition, all UK adults at higher risk due to underlying health conditions would also be given the option of receiving a first jab by the same date.

The UK's devolved nations each have the power to set their own coronavirus regulations and have different lockdown rules and vaccination programmes.

Slightly more than 23% of NI's population have received their first dose of vaccine, which is slightly behind Wales (26.8%), Scotland (25.7%) and England (25.4%).

On Friday, Mr Swann announced that all carers over the age of 18 could now book a Covid-19 vaccine at a vaccination centre.

"There are many elderly or disabled people who rely on carers to look after them and their welfare would be a risk if their carer took ill," he said.

"We must continue to protect the most vulnerable from the effects of Covid. That includes doing the right thing and waiting your turn."

The executive is due to publish a pathway to recovery for coming out of lockdown.

First Minister Arlene Foster told BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme the NI executive had been watching what other parts of the United Kingdom were doing.

She said she would be looking at the impact the reopening of schools in Scotland and Wales had on the reproduction (R) number.

She also said she would follow England's plan closely as "our transmission rates are probably similar to theirs and we will want to take that into account".

"What I must do is make sure that we don't go back into lockdown again and that of course is a balancing act," she said.

"We have to do it in a way that makes sure that we don't step back again."