Tens of thousands of coronavirus infections identified in Derry City and Strabane so far
Tens of thousands of Covid-19 infections have been identified in Derry City and Strabane since the pandemic began, figures show, as reinfections are included in official statistics for the first time.
Since yesterday (January 31), the UK Health Security Agency has changed the way it reports coronavirus cases.
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Hide AdIt means if one person tests positive for the virus more than 90 days after the first infection, two infection episodes will be recorded.
The change has led to a significant rise in the number of cases recorded across the UK.
A total of 50,425 cases had been confirmed in Derry City and Strabane when the UK coronavirus daily dashboard was updated on January 31 (Monday).
That was up from 48,993 on Friday, when reinfections were not included in the figures.
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Hide AdThe rate of infection in Derry City and Strabane now stands at 33,370 cases per 100,000 people, far higher than the Northern Ireland average of 28,639.
Across the UK, 17,315,893 coronavirus infections have been recorded since the start of the pandemic, an increase of 981,913 compared to Friday.
People with a positive lateral flow test no longer need to take a follow-up PCR test to confirm the result unless they have coronavirus symptoms.
UK case numbers currently only include LFT results for England and Northern Ireland, with lateral flow testing data for Scotland due to be added in the coming weeks.
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Hide AdThere were no new coronavirus deaths recorded over the weekend in Derry City and Strabane.
The dashboard shows 200 people had died in the area by January 31 (Monday) – which was unchanged from Friday.
It means there have been two deaths in the past week, which is a decrease on four the previous week.
They were among 3,111 deaths recorded across Northern Ireland.
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Hide AdThe figures include anyone who died within 28 days of a positive test result for Covid-19, and whose usual residence was in Derry City and Strabane.
Daily death counts are revised each day, with each case backdated to the actual date of death, so some areas might see their figures revised down.
Figures reported on a Monday are likely to be lower as a result of a lag in reporting deaths over the weekend.