THERE have been 43 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the North of Ireland.
It brings the total number of confirmed positive cases here to 6,049.
There have been no Coronavirus-related deaths recorded by the Department of Health in the past 24 hours.
Its death toll remains remains at 556.
The department’s daily figures are mostly comprised of hospital deaths, where a patient had previously tested positive for the virus.
There have been 29 deaths from Coronavirus in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area since the pandemic erupted in March this year.
Today’s figures from the Department of Health show that there have been four clusters involving more than five people in the Newry, Mourne and Down council area.
Twenty-three clusters of COVID-19 cases have been identified in the North of Ireland since contact tracing began in May.
Eleven are still open, with 168 cases of the virus associated with them.
Clusters are defined as two or more cases among individuals associated by a key setting – a workplace, retail or hospitality premises, domestic gatherings and sporting settings – with illness onset dates within a 14 day period.
Nine clusters have had five or more cases associated with them.
Fourteen across the North of Ireland have had fewer than five people.
Smaller clusters may be associated with a larger cluster – for example, a common geographic location or common social setting.
Five have been identified in the past week, with 35 cases involved and 239 close contacts.
As transmission is highest within a household setting, cases linked by living together are not reported as clusters because they are likely to be identified by efficient contact tracing.
The Public Health Agency says the average number of close contacts linked to cases has more than doubled since July.
The rise may be attributed to the gradual easing of lockdown measures, but may also be explained by relaxing of attitudes to social distancing.
The agency says it won’t go into detail about every incident that emerges, so as not to deter people from seeking a test when they have symptoms.
Testing is available to everyone in the North of Ireland and can be booked online at www.pha.site/coronavirus
From next week, the PHA will publish regular updates on regional cluster activity.
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