Two further coronavirus-related deaths have been reported in Northern Ireland on Thursday.
The death toll from the Department of Health now stands at 2,556.
One fatality is said to have occurred during the current reporting period, and the other outside of it.
A further 1,163 positive Covid cases have also been recorded in NI today.
This brings the total number of positive cases to 238,300 since the start of the pandemic, according to the Department of Health.
Over the past seven days, the Department said 7,677 individuals have tested positive in Northern Ireland.
According to figures released on Thursday, there are currently 342 Covid-19 confirmed patients in hospital and 31 in intensive care.
Meanwhile, up to 80 military medics will arrive in Northern Ireland in the next week to help relieve Covid pressures on hospital wards, the health minister has told MLAs.
Robin Swann also refused to rule out the possibility that some Covid regulations that have been eased may need to be reintroduced if the pandemic worsens.
The minister appeared before his Stormont scrutiny committee on Thursday, where he faced questions about pressures on hospitals.
Earlier this month, Mr Swann asked the Ministry of Defence to send armed service medics to be deployed under an arrangement known as MACA (Military Aid to Civilian Authorities). Military personnel have been used in earlier stages of Northern Ireland’s response to the health emergency.
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