Eleven new deaths and 1,929 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported in the past 24 hours in Northern Ireland, according to the region's Department of Health.
Hospital bed occupancy is running at 467, with 34 in an intensive care unit and 27 on a ventilator.
Overall bed occupancy, including non-Covid patients, is at 100 per cent, with only six unoccupied.
A total of 107 care home Covid outbreaks are being addressed.
It comes as schools in the North will deliver remote learning in the first week of the new term after a return to classrooms was delayed due to spiralling Covid-19 infection rates.
The announcement by Stormont Education Minister Peter Weir will affect both primary and secondary schools.
For secondary school years 8 to 11, remote learning will continue throughout January.
Schools will open next week to accommodate vulnerable children and those of key workers.
Childcare settings, including those attached to schools, pre-school facilities, nurseries and special schools, will also open as usual next week.
Mr Weir had been facing mounting pressure to delay the return to school after the Christmas holidays due to the worsening infection rates in the North.
Meanwhile, the rollout of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in Northern Ireland will begin on Monday, the region's chief medical officer has confirmed.
Dr Michael McBride said an initial batch of 50,000 doses had been allocated to the region.
Dr McBride said those would be rolled out to GP practices on Monday.
