Pressure for the immediate lifting of Covid restrictions is likely to mount with the news that the number of excess deaths in the North in January 2022 fell below the average figure for the past five years
Tech entrepreneur Danny Moore, who has been analysing local and global Covid reports since the outbreak for the pandemic, says that means Covid "is over as an excess death" event in the North.
"NI has some of the fastest reporting in the world," said the Options Technologies CEO.
"And the just-released figures show that in the previous five years only the 2019 number was lower."
According to the latest figures from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, there were 1,609 deaths in the North in January 2022. This compares with a figure of 1,933 at the height of the Covid pandemic in April 2020. It is down on the figure for the same month in 2017, 2018 and 2020.
DROP: Execess deaths figures for North of Ireland
"Covid has evolved into a new strain of the common cold so all restrictions globally can be rolled back, more or less," added Danny Moore. "As a global tech business with headquarters in Belfast, this is huge for us. Our number of out of region business trips was back at pre-pandemic levels in January though it has to be said that 95 per cent of travellers were under 35. Most of our people came back to the Belfast office voluntarily through the first two weeks of Feb. Sentiment here seems to be ahead of London and miles ahead of New York City."
The latest figures will bring added pressure on the Health Minister Robin Swann — who tested positive for Covid at the weekend - to bring an end to the remaining pandemic restrictions. At the weekend, fellow-executive ministers were canvassed on moves to lift restrictions in the absence of a fully-functioning government at Stormont. Alliance Justice Minister Naomi Long has said the Health Minister was green-lighted by colleagues to make the move.
