124 further coronavirus cases in Antrim and Newtownabbey

File photo dated 21/12/2021 of a nurse puts on PPE in a ward for Covid patients at King's College Hospital, in south east London. The Government has been told to "get a grip" of personal protective equipment (PPE) stocks and contracts, as it was disclosed more than half of suppliers who provided items through the VIP fast-track lane provided stock that was not suitable for use on the front line. Issue date: Wednesday March 30, 2022.

The number of coronavirus cases in Antrim and Newtownabbey increased by 124 over the weekend, official figures show.

A total of 54,602 cases had been confirmed in Antrim and Newtownabbey when the UK coronavirus daily dashboard was updated on April 25 (Monday), up from 54,478 on Friday.

The cumulative rate of infection in Antrim and Newtownabbey, which covers the whole pandemic, stands at 37,982 cases per 100,000 people, higher than the Northern Ireland average of 37,235.

In England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, if one person tests positive for the virus more than 90 days after the first infection, two infection episodes will be recorded, according to the UK Health Security Agency.

There were no new coronavirus deaths recorded over the weekend in Antrim and Newtownabbey.

The dashboard shows 304 people had died in the area by April 25 (Monday) – which was unchanged from Friday.

It means there have been two deaths in the past week, which is an increase on none the previous week.

They were among 3,409 deaths recorded across Northern Ireland.

The figures include anyone who died within 28 days of a positive test result for Covid-19, and whose usual residence was in Antrim and Newtownabbey.

Daily death counts are revised each day, with each case backdated to the actual date of death, so some areas might see their figures revised down.

Figures reported on a Monday are likely to be lower as a result of a lag in reporting deaths over the weekend.