Another nine lives lost

THE Department of Health has reported a further nine coronavirusrelated fatalities.

The death toll in Northern Ireland now stands at 1,975.

A further 407 positive cases of Covid-19 have also been revealed, bringing the total to 108,434 since the start of the pandemic.

There are currently 488 Covid-19 confirmed patients in hospital and 58 in intensive care.

Meanwhile, 103 Covidrelated deaths occurred from January 30 to February 5 , said the NI Statistics and Research Agency.

Total viruslinked fatalities reported by the agency until February 5 are 2,614.

POLICE are appealing for information on a crash involving two vehicles and a pedestrian.

It happened at Raceview Road in Ballymena, Co Antrim, at around 6.45pm on Thursday.

A PSNI spokesperson urged any witnesses or anyone with dash cam footage to come forward.

Police are also keen to hear from any witnesses “who may have seen the pedestrian in the vicinity of the area prior to the incident”.

THE mark of any society, they say, is the way it treats its most vulnerable – but who says this should stop at people?

Pet owners across the country would be horrified at the thought of their babies going without food for around 30 hours.

Why is it then that we accept it’s OK for livestock to be treated in this way?

Thousands of animals are exported from Northern Ireland each year and it is impossible to truly know what horrors they endure.

It’s time for farming leaders, and society as a whole, to have a long, hard look at how we allow these animals, reared for food or otherwise, to be treated.