298 further coronavirus cases in Ards and North Down

The number of coronavirus cases in Ards and North Down increased by 298 in the last 24 hours, official figures show.

A total of 50,640 cases had been confirmed in Ards and North Down when the UK coronavirus daily dashboard was updated on March 22 (Tuesday), up from 50,342 on Monday.

The cumulative rate of infection in Ards and North Down, which covers the whole pandemic, stands at 31,249 cases per 100,000 people, far lower than the Northern Ireland average of 35,436.

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.

Across the UK, the number of recorded cases increased by 94,297 over the period, to 20,413,731.

There were no new coronavirus deaths recorded in the latest 24-hour period in Ards and North Down.

The dashboard shows 206 people had died in the area by March 22 (Tuesday) – which was unchanged from Monday.

It means there have been no deaths in the past week, which is a decrease on one the previous week.

They were among 3,282 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 Ards and North Down.

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.