Nine further coronavirus-related deaths have been reported in Northern Ireland on Friday.
The death toll from the Department of Health now stands at 2,287.
Eight of the fatalities are said to have occurred during the current reporting period, and one outside of it.
A further 2,397 positive Covid cases have also been recorded in NI today.
This brings the total number of positive cases to 184,172 since the start of the pandemic, according to the Department of Health.
Over the past seven days, the Department said 11,460 individuals have tested positive in Northern Ireland.
According to figures released on Friday, there are currently 388 Covid-19 confirmed patients in hospital and 47 in intensive care.
Meanwhile, tributes have been paid to the first serving Northern Irish prison officer to die from Covid-19.
The Director General of the Prison Service has led tributes to the officer from Maghaberry Prison, saying that he had cared deeply about the service and had worked tirelessly over the years to make it better and safer.
Writing to Prison staff this morning, Ronnie Armour said: “It was with a deep sense of sadness that I learned last night of the passing of one of our colleagues, after a short battle with Covid-19. He cared deeply about the Service and he worked tirelessly over the years to make things better and safer.
“On behalf of the Service I want to express our heartfelt sympathies to his family circle and to those colleagues who worked alongside him. Our Service is the poorer for his passing and the circumstances of his death make our loss all the more painful. He will be long remembered.”
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