A WEST Belfast pharmacist is urging the public to be "sensible" amid a recent rise in Covid-19 infections.
This week, the Department of Health reported a significant rise in infections since December. The latest Covid-19 infection survey shows that as of January 5, there were 374 in-patients with confirmed Coronavirus in hospitals here.
That compares to 226 on December 5, with the 374 total representing 11 per cent of occupied beds in hospitals across the North.
The latest statistics come after the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a warning about the so-called ‘Kraken’ variant, which it branded the “most transmissible subvariant” of the virus.
Speaking to the Andersonstown News, Pharmacist Terry Maguire said: "I think the good news is that Covid is currently not dangerous and long may that remain.
"It is absolutely essential that we monitor the evolution of this virus. Covid is no longer a pandemic but an endemic. I think we are into a new era where we are going to have to live with it.
Both COVID-19 and flu are among the factors contributing to the extreme and ongoing pressures on health and social care.
— Department of Health (@healthdpt) January 6, 2023
Anyone who is eligible for COVID-19 and flu vaccination and has not yet got their jabs is strongly encouraged to do so.
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"In the past year, we have not seen significant numbers of deaths from Covid and this new variant is not showing any signs so far of being more aggressive than Omicron.
"I would urge the public to be sensible. If you have any type of infection at the minute, keep yourself as isolated as you can and treat yourself with symptom-relief medicine.
"There is no question this new variant is more infectious than before. The figure in the North now is that one-in-16 people were infected in the week before Christmas.
"We have come through almost three years of lockdowns, huge numbers of deaths and strains on our health service, which we are still paying for in many ways.
"Ninety-nine per cent of people who get a viral infection this winter will be able to self-treat at home.
"From the start of December, Strep A understandably caused huge concerns amongst the public. The panic created was not justified because we know it very well and can treat it very well but because of the panic, we ran out of antibiotics and had a lot of frightened parents."
