NI's daily coronavirus infection rate soars to more than 2,000 cases for first time

An SDLP petition to recall the Northern Ireland Assembly in an attempt to "compel" Education Minister Peter Weir to keep schools closed has been successful.

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Subscribe              Dec 30, 2020           Good afternoon,   Today's headlines are dominated by yet more sobering coronavirus statistics from the Department of Health which reveal that 2,143 new infections have been recorded in Northern Ireland.  There have been another six Covid-related deaths.   This is the biggest daily rise in cases since the pandemic began and the first time the number of infections recorded in 24 hours has risen to more than 2,000.   Meanwhile, approval for the Oxford / AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine was announced by UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock this morning. The jab is expected to be rolled out in Northern Ireland next week.   Thank you for reading this daily coronavirus bulletin from the News Letter team and for your support for our journalism this year.  It is more important than ever that the public in Northern Ireland have access to fact-checked, accurate information, so if you haven't already, then please consider taking out a digital subscription with us from just £1 a month.  Check out your subscription options here.    Stay safe, Valerie Martin, Head of Content.            Assembly to be recalled in bid to force Education Minister Peter Weir to keep NI schools shut           An SDLP petition to recall the Northern Ireland Assembly in an attempt to "compel" Education Minister Peter Weir to keep schools closed has been successful.                 Robin Swann welcomes AstraZeneca vaccine approval but warns of 'most challenging' weeks ahead in pandemic   Northern Ireland Health Minister Robin Swann welcomed the approval of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.           Police reminder on 'curfew' rules   Police have issued a warning to anyone thinking of breaking the 8pm 'curfew'.           PSNI hit another 61 people with £200 Covid fines over Christmas period   The latest statistics are out regarding the numbers of fines and other punishments meted out to people deemed to be in breach of coronavirus laws.           NI health service braced for mid-January surge after record number of coronavirus cases, says BMA NI chair Dr Tom Black   A record high number of coronavirus cases has been recorded in Northern Ireland, amid a warning the pressure on the health service will "peak" in the weeks ahead.           This is how long it takes for a Covid vaccine to work - and how long it might last   The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA), meaning millions of people in the UK will be able to be vaccinated.           Here are 9 political leaders and UK celebrities who been vaccinated against Covid   Since mid-December there has been hope that the pandemic could be coming to an end, as the first wave of vaccines was rolled out.                 View more news

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