Derry/Strabane COVID-19 rate rises marginally over two consecutive days

The increases in the case rate have been down to tiny numbers of positive cases and would not be statistically significant.

It is nonetheless the first time since October 17 that Derry and Strabane has not recorded consistent daily declines in this measure.

Seventy-nine people, meanwhile, were still being treated as confirmed COVID-19 patients in Western Trust hospitals at midnight.

The latest update on ICU capacity at Altnagelvin shows that ten of eleven beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients with no beds free.

Five ICU patients - all of whom had tested positive for coronavirus - were being ventilated.

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A breakdown of general occupancy shows that Altnagelvin is now 19.81 per cent 'COVID-19 occupied', 72.20 per cent 'other occupied' with 3.83 capacity left in the system and 4.15 per cent listed as 'awaiting admission today.'

The COVID-19 case rate per 100,000 people in Derry and Strabane remains the second highest in the north after Mid Ulster.

And while there has been a rapid drop in the incidence rate locally over the past number of weeks this has now slowed.

Between October 29 and November 4, the last weekly period examined, for example, 455 people tested positive in the Derry and Strabane area giving a case rate per 100,000 of 302.

This seven day figure was up for the second day running on Thursday.

There were 450 cases between October 27 and November 2 giving a rate of 298.7 and there were 452 cases between October 28 and November 3 giving a rate of 300.

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The daily change in the cumulative number of patients with a positive test in Derry and Strabane between November 3 and November 4 was 65.

In total 5786 people have now tested positive for the illness in Derry and Strabane.

Fifty-one people in Derry and Strabane have sadly died after testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. Thirty of those deaths have occurred since September.