Another COVID-19 death with prevalence rate in Derry second highest and Altnagelvin 6.01% over capacity

One more person has died with the total death toll since the pandemic began now stood at 135.

It is the first COVID-19 death locally in over a week.

Thirty-one people have died with coronavirus in Derry/Strabane in 2021.

The COVID-19 rate remains higher than in most other areas after rising significantly from Thursday.

Between March 14 and March 20, there were 111 confirmed positive cases of the virus in the district giving a seven day rate per 100,000 of 73.7, up from 71 on Saturday.

Only in Mid Ulster (77.3) is the rate higher.

The daily change in the cumulative number of patients with a positive test in Derry and Strabane between March 19 and March 20 was 16.

In total 11,424 people have now tested positive for the illness in Derry and Strabane.

At midnight on Saturday 34 people were being treated as coronavirus inpatients across all Western Trust hospitals.

Six of 10 (60%) ICU beds at Altnagelvin were being used to treat COVID-19 patients; four (40%) were occupied by patients with other conditions and none were free.

Six ICU patients in total were being ventilated - all were COVID-19 patients.

In terms of general occupancy 7.59% of beds at Altnagelvin were ‘COVID-19 occupied’, 85.13% were ‘other occupied’ and the hospital was 6.01% over capacity: 7.28% were ‘awaiting admission.’

In total 82,000 vaccine doses have now been administered at the three mass vaccination centres in Derry, Omagh and Enniskillen.

Across the north GPs have rolled out 329,000 jabs.