The PHA publishes a daily report confirming the number of people with a positive diagnosis of Covid-19 who have died in hospital. The reports do not include those who may have died in others settings, such as care homes and private homes, or who had not been tested for coronavirus.

With concern locally that staff at care homes are not being supplied with the same quantity and standard of personal protection equipment as NHS staff, there is growing pressure on the authorities to give the sector greater parity of treatment with other areas of the health service.

One woman who works in a local care home told the Herald: “It really does feel hat we are always the very last to be thought about. II would appear that the health service and the private companies who employ carers don’t seem to care about our safety.”

Meanwhile, Health Minister Robin Swann said any care home residents or members of staff who showed symptoms of Covid-19 would be tested.

He also pledged that Covid-19 figures would be extended to include care homes and other non-hospital settings as soon as possible.