181 further coronavirus cases in Fermanagh and Omagh

The number of coronavirus cases in Fermanagh and Omagh increased by 181 in the last 24 hours, official figures show.

A total of 30,824 people had been confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 in Fermanagh and Omagh when the UK coronavirus daily dashboard was updated on January 18 (Tuesday), up from 30,643 on Monday.

The rate of infection in Fermanagh and Omagh now stands at 26,270 cases per 100,000 people, higher than the Northern Ireland average of 25,730.

Across the UK, the number of recorded cases increased by 93,890 over the period, to 15,399,300.

People with a positive lateral flow test no longer need to take a follow-up PCR test to confirm the result unless they have coronavirus symptoms.

UK case numbers currently only include LFT results for England and Northern Ireland, with lateral flow testing data for Scotland due to be added in the coming weeks.

However, there were no new coronavirus deaths recorded in the latest 24-hour period in Fermanagh and Omagh.

The dashboard shows 139 people had died in the area by January 18 (Tuesday) – which was unchanged from Monday.

It means there have been three deaths in the past week, which is an increase on one the previous week.

They were among 3,048 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 Fermanagh and Omagh.

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.