83 further coronavirus cases and one more death recorded in Antrim and Newtownabbey

The number of coronavirus cases in Antrim and Newtownabbey increased by 83 in the last 24 hours, official figures show – and one more death was recorded.

A total of 53,694 cases had been confirmed in Antrim and Newtownabbey when the UK coronavirus daily dashboard was updated on April 8 (Friday), up from 53,611 on Thursday.

The cumulative rate of infection in Antrim and Newtownabbey, which covers the whole pandemic, stands at 37,351 cases per 100,000 people, higher than the Northern Ireland average of 36,687.

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.

The end of free tests in England means the reported number of coronavirus cases in the UK is likely to be an underestimate. However, the Office for National Statistics estimates that 4.1 million people had Covid-19 in the week ending April 2.

There was also one more coronavirus death recorded in the latest 24-hour period in Antrim and Newtownabbey.

The dashboard shows 300 people had died in the area by April 8 (Friday) – up from 299 on Thursday.

It means there have been two deaths in the past week, which is a decrease on three the previous week.

They were among 3,358 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.