Positive coronavirus cases in NI highest since peak of pandemic

Today there were just 10 new cases confirmed by the Stormont health department but this followed a dramatic jump over the weekend, when 190 cases were confirmed.

More than half, 119, came on Sunday – that’s one of the highest daily totals recorded in Northern Ireland since the pandemic began.

There have been 359 cases in the past week and 660 in the past fortnight.

Part of the recent spike in cases could be down to the huge ramp-up in testing rates since April, when Northern Ireland was still under lockdown, and an increase in the number of asymptomatic people undergoing tests through the Public Health Agency’s ‘test, trace and protect’ programme.

The highest number of cases recorded in one day came on April 19, with 159. There were 786 people tested for the virus that day, meaning just over 20% or one-in-five people tested positive.

On Sunday, the 119 cases came following tests on 5,774 people. That translates to around 2%, or one-in-50 people who tested positive.

The number of hospital admissions has also remained low, despite the increase in the number of cases recorded since the beginning of August.

There are currently 10 patients in hospital, with none requiring intensive care or the use of a ventilator.

In early April, there were between 30 and 40 patients being admitted to hospital every day.

The age profile of those testing positive for the virus could explain the relatively low number of hospital admissions at present.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health confirmed to the News Letter that “many of the recent cases have been within younger people, and thankfully our hospital admissions have remained low” but stressed that “as a society we must continue to do all we can to continue to protect elderly people and those with serious underlying medical conditions”.

Last week, the Chief Scientific Advisor Professor Ian Young said experts believe that if cases continue to rise then hospital admissions and deaths will begin to catch up.

Health authorities are currently dealing with nine outbreaks of coronavirus at care homes in Northern Ireland, with a further five suspected.

In total, 180 care home outbreaks have been marked as ‘closed’ by the Department of Health.