Tomas Doherty
Derry and Limerick are hotspots for new Covid infections as concern mounts over the rising number of Delta variant cases in Ireland.
The Derry City and Strabane council area has the highest infection rate on the island, with 300 cases reported per 100,000 people over the last 14 days.
The number of confirmed cases in the area has jumped in one week – 274 cases were reported over the last seven days, compared to 180 the previous week.
In Limerick the infection rate stands at 279 cases per 100,000, though case numbers have been decreasing in the county over the last two weeks.
Mayo has the lowest 14-day infection rate on the island, at 23 per 100,000.
Covid-related hospital admissions remain low. In the Republic, 41 people are in hospital with the disease, 13 of whom are in intensive care units.
As of Tuesday morning, there were 13 Covid-positive patients in hospital in the North, none of whom were in intensive care.
Delta variant
Indications show that one in five new cases of coronavirus detected in the Republic over the last seven days are the Delta variant, which was first detected in India and is known to be more contagious.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said he is “concerned” about the rising number of cases associated with that variant.
Speaking to RTÉ on Tuesday, he warned “we are now surrounded by the Delta variant”.
Meanwhile, the North's Public Health Agency said on Tuesday there were 612 confirmed or probable cases of the Delta variant detected throughout all 11 local council areas in Northern Ireland.
The agency said that around half of Covid-19 positive cases sampled in the North are now indicative of the Delta variant.
Up to Monday, a total of 449 people were tested in Omagh and 689 were tested in Ballymoney after a number of probable cases were identified in the two towns.
