Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew has said the health minister needs to ensure errors in the reporting of the number of people who have lost their lives to COVID-19 do not happen again.

Colm Gildernew said:

“I want to express my heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of each and every person who has died as a result of COVID-19, particularly those whose deaths have been announced today.

“The scale of the human tragedy of these deaths and the number of families grieving loved ones is staggering and brings home the extent of the pandemic crisis we are facing.

“More than 1,000 people have lost their loves as a result of this pandemic across the island, including 250 in the north.

“It is deeply worrying however that weeks into this crisis that such an error can be made in terms of reporting the number of deaths.

“These are people with families who have been plunged into grief by their loss, not mere statistics.

“I will be raising this issue directly with the health minister at the Assembly health committee meeting tomorrow.

“The health minister and department need to take steps to ensure an error like this never happens again.” Críoch/Ends