163 further coronavirus cases in Derry City and Strabane

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 Derry City and Strabane increased by 163 in the last five days, official figures show.

A total of 61,649 cases had been confirmed in Derry City and Strabane when the UK coronavirus daily dashboard was updated on April 19 (Tuesday), up from 61,486 on Thursday, the last working day before the Easter bank holiday.

The cumulative rate of infection in Derry City and Strabane, which covers the whole pandemic, stands at 40,798 cases per 100,000 people, far higher than the Northern Ireland average of 37,059.

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 in the latest five-day period in Derry City and Strabane.

The dashboard shows 220 people had died in the area by April 19 (Tuesday) – which was unchanged from Thursday.

It means there has been one death in the past week, which is a decrease on three the previous week.

They were among 3,391 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 Derry City and Strabane.

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 today are likely to lower as a result of a lag in reporting deaths over the bank holiday.