Covid: Twelve in hospital as Manx cases rise by a further 65

The number of people with Covid-19 admitted to hospital on the Isle of Man has risen to 12, it has been confirmed.

The Manx government said the number of new cases had fallen for the third day in a row with 65 identified, but one hospital admission in intensive care.

There are currently 644 known active cases of coronavirus on the island.

Chief Minister Howard Quayle said the figures were "heading in the right direction" but there was "a long way to go yet".

He added that it was likely the current lockdown would last longer than the initial three weeks planned, but any decision on extending it would depend on how quickly the figures fell.

The Isle of Man implemented circuit break restrictions on 3 March following a surge in Covid-19 cases that had no identifiable transmission source.

Public health director Henrietta Ewart said the number of new unexplained positive tests was "going down" and the impact of the lockdown restrictions was beginning to show.

A government spokesman said the source of infection in all but 143 of the current active cases was known and work was ongoing to establish transmission in the others.

There have been 1,091 positive tests for Covid-19 on the Isle of Man since the start of the pandemic, and 25 people have died.

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