Western Trust director Karen O’Brien says low COVID-19 numbers in Derry and Strabane down to adherence to lockdown restrictions

Karen O’Brien believes the stay-at-home message has resonated and that the practice of social distancing has led to the Western Trust suffering one of the lowest COVID rates in the north.

Yesterday the Department of Health confirmed the number of people in Derry and Strabane who had tragically died after contracting SARS-CoV-2 remained at 20. The number of positive cases in the city and district meanwhile rose to 153, which was lower than anywhere other than in Mid Ulster (149) and Fermanagh and Omagh (73).

“The reason we as a Trust are in the position we are in with regards to the low numbers of our patients and service users with COVID-19 is due to the work and the adherence to guidelines that both you in the public and us here in the Trust are adhering to,” said the local mental health chief.

Mrs. O’Brien asked people to continue limiting their outdoor excursions and to practice social distancing when they have to go out.

“At times it can feel really tough. At times we pine to get outside when the weather is lovely but the reason we are where we are is because you have adhered to it. I’m asking again, please, continue to adhere to social distancing,” she said.

The number of positive cases in Derry and Strabane has now risen to 153 and last night it was revealed that the number of cases in Donegal has risen to 465. The Donegal data was released yesterday but was accurate up until midnight on Saturday.

In total 1,706 people in Ireland have died; 387 in the north and 1,319 in the south.