North: 424 new cases of coronavirus in highest rate since start of pandemic

The North's Department of Health has reported 424 new cases of coronavirus in Northern Ireland – the highest rate recorded since the outbreak of the pandemic.

In its daily bulletin issued on Wednesday afternoon it also reported one more death related to Covid-19, taking the total number of deaths in Northern Ireland to 579.

The North now has recorded 11,693 cases of coronavirus with 1,950 of those cases reported in the past seven days.

In the past week the highest number of cases – 487 – were recorded in the Derry and Strabane council area.

Supreme Court sends Denham report on Séamus Woulfe to Judicial Council

---

No extra powers needed to enforce Covid-19 restrictions, commissioner told McEntee

---

Economic slump less serious than feared but jobs crisis looms

---

Coronavirus: Test-and-trace system could cost €700 million, says HSE chief Paul Reid

---

On Tuesday the North's chief scientific officer Prof Ian Young warned that if the current trend continued Northern Ireland would be experiencing 1,000 cases of coronavirus a day within a month.