THE North’s chief scientific advisor says the fall in cases in the Derry and Strabane council area is due to lockdown measures introduced ten days ago.
Prof Ian Young has been speaking at a Stormont press briefing with Health Minister Robin Swann
Prof Young has been using a graph to show how 10 days after restrictions were introduced in Derry and Strabane, case numbers began to fall.
The area still has Northern Ireland’s highest incidence rate.
It also shows the response of the R number to the restrictions in the area – showing the R number dropping below one in the days after the change, as people changed their behaviour.
The latest figures published on Wednesday show that in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area, a total of 4,566 people have tested positive for Coronavirus in the past seven months.
In the past 24 hours, a further 127 people in Derry and Strabane have returned a positive test, a fall of 20 on the previous day.
Over the last week, 1,009 people within the council boundary have contracted the virus.
Six people have returned indeterminate test results.
The positive test rate in the council area is now up to 3,003 per 100,000 of population, according to the new figures.
This is the highest of any of the 11 councils in the North of Ireland.
The Department of Health has now recorded 31 deaths in hospital in the Derry City and Strabane District Council since the pandemic erupted here in March.
Prof Ian Young, North’s Chief Scientific Officer
He notes that why the daily number of cases is averaging over 1,000 a day, this figure has began to decline.
He notes the Derry and Strabane area remains “the part of Northern Ireland that continues to have the highest incidences of the virus”, and that the R rate is at about 1.4.
Prof Young says this decline could be down to the measures which have been introduced which has seen the hospitality sector close except for deliveries and takeaways.
He says the R number is beginning to “fall slowly”.
Prof Young says there is a hope it may reduce to 0.7 to 0.9 over the next four weeks due to recent restrictions.
“If we can achieve that working together, I am confident we will make a significant impact on the number of cases and see a decline in hospital admissions,” he says.
Health Minister Robin Swann says the “single biggest influence” on the spread of Covid-19 is how people behave and abide by the public health advice.
He repeats his call for people to “reduce your contacts, keep your distance, wash your hands and get tested if you need”.
The health minister adds: “The next few weeks will be immensely challenging, especially for our health workers as we should all do what we can do to collectively reduce the spread of Covid-19.”
The health minister says if Covid-19 cases are not brought under control there will be “many more avoidable deaths” in hospitals and care homes.
Robin Swann says the health service will “find it increasingly difficult to carry out vital non-Covid treatments”.
“If saving lives, both Covid and non-Covid is not at the heart of this debate, then people are asking the wrong questions,” he tells the press briefing.
“Whilst there has been disruption in recent days I am reassured many of the cancelled procedures and surgeries will be rescheduled as quickly as possible in the days and weeks ahead.”
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