Coronavirus: 52 laboratory confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Derry and Strabane but 'reporting issues' with Western Trust data

In its latest daily surveillance bulletin the PHA confirmed that tests were initially conducted by the Regional Virology Laboratory (RVL) in Belfast for all of north,

However, laboratory testing data from the Western Trust, which started on April 3, is not currently included due to 'reporting issues'.

Thus there has been no reported rise in cases in Derry and Strabane since Tuesday when the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose from 51 to 52.

The same is the case for Fermanagh and Omagh, which has had a cumulative total of 43 confirmed cases on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday due to the reporting issue.

Otherwise, as of 11.15 a.m. on Thursday, April 9, testing had resulted in 138 new positive cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the north to 1477.

To date 82 people who have tested positive in the north have sadly died.

The latest daily surveillance report shows that over the previous 24 hours there had been 138 new confirmed cases; and 843 more tests.

Four new deaths have sadly been confirmed since yesterday's daily report.

Fifty-two confirmed cases have been reported in Derry and Strabane compared with 482 in Belfast, however, as aforementioned there have been 'reporting issues' with the Western Trust data this week.

There have been 43 lab confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Causeway Coast and Glens area.

However, of the 10203 tests in the north sofar 894 have been conducted in the Western Trust, still the lowest number of tests in any health authority, compared with 3825 in the Belfast Trust, the highest number of tests. Once again this is partly due to the data gap mentioned above.

Cases are predominantly clustered within the Belfast area.

The definition of a death associated with COVID-19 is an individual who has died within 28 days of a positive SARS-CoV2 test.

Of 81 deaths with data, the median age was 81 years old of which 39 (48%) were female and 42 (52%) were male.

As of Thursday there have been 7551 confirmed cases in Ireland - 6074 in the south and 1477 in the north.

Three hundred and seventeen people have not died from the illness in Ireland - 235 in the south, 82 in the north.

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