28 cases of COVID-19 on Saturday and hospitalisation of younger patient at Altnagelvin last week as cases spike in Derry and Strabane

Twenty-eight cases were reported in the city and district on Saturday, September 19, which was the largest daily total to have been recorded here since the pandemic began in March.

And last Monday saw the first COVID-19 related hospitalisation in Altnagelvin since June.

A patient aged between 20 and 39 was admitted to the hospital before being discharged last Wednesday.

Between Sunday, September 13, and Saturday, September 19, Derry and Strabane consistently reported daily case totals in double digits.

Over that week there were 115 reported cases in the area in total.

To put that in context, during the first wave of the pandemic from March to the beginning of May there were 153 positive cases in Derry and Strabane.

Over the week Derry and Strabane posted the second highest rate of coronavirus per 100,000 people after Belfast. The rate here was 76.3. In Belfast, where there were 264 reported new cases over the seven days, it was 77.4.

The vast majority of the 115 people who contracted the illness in the city and district were aged 0 to 59.

Five of the local patients were aged between 60 and 79 while none were in the vulnerable 80 plus category.