That's all from us today, thanks for joining us.

To keep up to date, find all the latest on the BBC News NI website, Radio Ulster and BBC Newsline.

As is usual on Thursday, it's expected the Executive Office - First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill - will be giving a press conference tomorrow afternoon. If so, we'll have all the latest here and we'll see you then.

In the meantime, take care.

The main theme of today's health briefing was defending the five-step lockdown exit plan published by the NI Executive yesterday.

Answering criticism from business leaders on a lack of detail in Stormont's pathway out of restrictions, Robin Swann said there are "too many complexities and uncertainties" for the executive to publish the specific data it will use to take decisions over lockdown restrictions.

The health minister also said he understood frustration after indicative dates were not included in the lockdown exit plan.

Mr Swann insisted it was too soon to follow a calendar-led approach.

"The time for definitive dates will come, of course it will," he said.

"But some of those demanding a calendar-led approach now would be the first to shout if we gave them dates and then had to alter them because of the progression of the pandemic."

The health minister also said he "would love to be able to announce a simple mathematical formula on how the data will determine all our decisions", but warned that there was too much uncertainty and said he would not offer people "false assurance".

Read more here.

Finally, the health minister ends by talking up the development in the vaccination rollout programme.

He says the mass vaccination centre at the SSE Arena in Belfast will be able to distribute 1,000 vaccinations per week, depending on supply.

Mr Swann adds that this, along with the regional vaccination centres, GPs and community pharmacists (who will soon be able to distribute the jab), allows for "easier access".

He pays tribute to Patricia Donnelly - who is leading the programme's rollout - and her team, saying the dividends of vaccinations are "already being seen".

With that, the three put their face masks back on and head off from the podiums.

Prof Siobhan O'Neill is asked about suicide rates.

She says that although rates can fluctuate, "there has been no increase and we don't foresee that in the near future". She also says this trend is being seen across the UK.

"We do know that economic downturns can be associated with changes in suicide rates as well and we do need to keep an eye on this and carefully monitor it going forward," she adds.

"There is also some research data coming through that is telling us that more people feel suicidal, many people feel that life is not worth living and people are losing hope.

"That is very worrying to hear that and again we must look after our mental health and wellbeing and reach out to people who might be struggling right now."

The Chief Medical Officer says he "looks forward to this summer being more like last", adding he hopes people in Northern Ireland will enjoy "some of the freedoms that none of us have had for a very long time".

He says he will not be advising lockdown measures for "a minute longer than is absolutely necessary" and says the vaccinations will do "a lot of the heavy lifting".

Reacting to a question about politicking, Mr Swann urges "consistency of messaging" from Stormont on the roadmap to ending lockdown in NI.

"No-ones been able to produce a perfect plan to deal with this virus," he says.

"When the executive stands together, that's when the people of Northern Ireland support us."

The chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride says he does not want to get to a situation where the "epidemic is growing" and there are increased pressures on hospital services again.

He says the R number - the rate of infection - and the percentage of tests that test positive will remain important measures.

"Today for the first time it is sitting at 5%, you think in previous weeks we were talking about a test positivity rate of over 20%," he adds.

The three are now taking questions - first up, unsurprisingly, is about the lack of dates in the five-step plan, with the health minister asked about why NI cannot have a more definitive path forward.

Robin Swann responds that the virus does not have a "specific path" that allows ministers to "set specific dates and timelines".

"What this plan does is give a sense of direction of travel, what we can expect at each stage at each step," he adds.

"It is about getting those steps and taking them at the right time."

Marie-Louise Connolly, BBC News NI's health correspondent, asks for more detail on what statistical benchmarks will be used to trigger restrictions being eased.

The health minister says it will be informed by "a multitude of measures" but "there is no magical formula we can type into a computer and have it say, 'yes you can more forward' or 'no, you can't'."

Image source, Reuters

Continuing the hopeful theme, Dr McBride says the vaccination programme "is the breakthrough we were all hoping for in the very darkest months of this pandemic".

He adds the vaccine "will permanently change the impact of the virus and increasingly lessen our dependence on some of the measures we currently have in place".

He points towards the latest data on vaccines, which indicate high levels of immunity even with one shot, as reasons for optimism.

He warns that vaccines do not provide "perfect protection", but urges people to take the jab.

"We do need and will continue to need additional lines of defence," he says, adding that restrictions will be relaxed in a "cautious, step-by-step approach"

He finishes by saying "better times are not that far ahead".

Chief medical officer Michael McBride is next to speak.

He says the rollout of the vaccination programme is "saving lives and reducing the level of serious illness and hospitalisation".

He reminds us that hospitalisations among elderly people are reduced by up to 80% after one vaccine dose.

Mr McBride says the public health advice, combined with public social distancing measures, have contributed to a fall in NI coronavirus cases.

He points out that NI has a lower total number of cases per 100,000 people than England and the Republic of Ireland, but still higher than Wales and Scotland.

Prof O'Neill discusses the draft mental health strategy and says it is "our vision for what mental health services in NI should look like".

"We deserve an excellent mental health service and we need your views on this draft so that we can get it right," she adds.

She encourages "everyone to respond" to the strategy which she says is on the Department of Health's website.

"We know that change is needed now and many changes are already happening."

Health Minister Robin Swann says he recognises lockdown has set off "that rollercoaster of emotions, for some, (and) undoubtedly triggered mental health conditions or exacerbated existing ones".

This leads him to introduce Prof Siobhan O'Neill, NI's interim mental health champion, saying that "no one was better placed to advise" on that theme.

Prof O'Neill thanks Northern Ireland's children and young people for bearing with lockdown.

"Our children have suffered and they are going through important periods of development and their mental health need to be our priority," she says.

With the health minister defending the NI Executive's five-step plan for easing the lockdown - let's take a look at the detail.

Unlike plans announced in England and Scotland, NI's blueprint does not include a timetable.

Progression for each of the nine pathways - across social and business settings - will depend on certain public health criteria being met.

The executive must review its coronavirus restrictions regularly, with the next due on 16 March.

Read more here.

Now Robin Swann turns his attention to yesterday's five-step plan out of lockdown - and the criticism it's attracted over a lack of indicative dates.

Mr Swann says he would rather "maintain a steady pace than race for the exit door and fall over".

"The time for definite dates will come, of course it will, but those demanding calendar-led approach now would be first to complain if we gave them dates and were forced to alter them because of the progression of the virus," he says.

Mr Swann also says he would "love to present a simple mathematical formula" that shows how decisions will be made for easing restrictions - but there are "too many complexities" and he does not want to offer people "false assurances".

He says the virus does not follow a "pre-planned route map".

Mr Swann says almost 600,000 jabs have been administered so far in NI- 545,000 of which were first doses.

He says plans to scale up vaccination programme are being finalised this week, including a mass vaccination centre at the SSE Arena and the use of community pharmacists.

These developments, Mr Swann says, are all reasons to be hopeful. He describes the vaccine rollout programme as "so important to all our futures".

The health minister begins by extending condolences to the families of the four people who have died in NI today.

He says an unbearable toll has been taken on lives and on livelihoods, but "we are on a path to better times".

Robin Swann, the chief medical officer and Prof O'Neill are at the podium and the press conference has begun.

To watch live, hit the play button at the top of the page.

On Wednesday, four more coronavirus-related deaths were recorded by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland.

It brings its death toll to 2,063.

A further 226 cases have been diagnosed.

There are 307 people with Covid-19 being treated in hospital.

Thirty-one people with the virus are in intensive care.

Image source, PA Media

The executive's five-step plan for easing restrictions was published yesterday, but has come in for some criticism over its lack of indicative dates, unlike the English and Scottish plans.

Businesses and industry organisations have hit out at the lack of detail around dates for reopening.

Today the deputy first minister defended that approach, saying the executive was being cautious.

"We're not going to give people false hope and false dawns around dates that cannot be delivered upon," she said.

Speaking on Tuesday, DUP First Minister Arlene Foster said the plan was "not perfect" but added she wanted to prevent any future lockdowns.

Read more here.

Good afternoon and welcome to our live page for the latest coronavirus briefing.

Health Minister Robin Swann, chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride and NI's interim mental health champion Prof Siobhan O'Neill will be at the podium today at about 4pm.

You can watch live via the play button at the top of this page and we'll also have live text updates here.