| Good afternoon, "The figures speak for themselves when you look at the rise in the number of cases, it is very alarming," Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said today. Warning that Northern Ireland is facing some "very big, tough decisions" in the battle against Covid-19 in the weeks and months ahead, she indicated more restrictions will be necessary. It was revealed that there's been a spike in the number of people in hospital with Covid-19, from 64 yesterday to 85 today. The Department of Health also sadly recorded one new death and 669 new infections in the last 24 hours. We are all getting used to wearing face masks in accordance to public health guidance, but the World Health Organisation is warning they become less effective when they get wet. This is definitely something for us to think about, especially on rainy days. Thanks for reading and stay safe. Valerie Martin, Head of Content. Want total access to all of our online content? You can subscribe to our website, newsletter.co.uk for just £1 a month for 3 months - and it couldn't be easier.
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