Northern Ireland

Record high levels of coronavirus recorded in Co Armagh

Northern Ireland's coronavirus cases have doubled in week
Northern Ireland's coronavirus cases have doubled in week Northern Ireland's coronavirus cases have doubled in week

SOARING levels of coronavirus infections in Northern Ireland have led to parts of Co Armagh recording the highest ever number of new cases across UK local authority areas.

Department of Health data has revealed the BT60 postcode area - which takes in Armagh city as well as the towns of Keady and Markethill - hit 1747 cases/100k population based on tests carried out in the week between December 28 and January 3.

The greater BT35 Newry area and neighbouring towns and villages of Crossmaglen and Bessbrook also confirmed a massive spike in levels, with 1481 cases per 100k population testing positive.

The unprecedented Co Armagh levels are sightly higher than recorded in the Welsh authority of Merthyr Tydfil two days before Christmas, according to data analyst Peter Donaghy.

As the north enters the second week of a six-week lockdown and further restrictions announced by Stormont - including school closures - doctors are warning of a "nightmare" scenario unfolding for both Covid and non-Covid patients.

While many of the north's hospitals are routinely affected by severe winter pressures and reduced staffing levels - particularly in nursing - the latest figures also show that 513 positive patients are hospitalised, with 39 in ICU.

More than 12,500 new cases have been confirmed in the past seven days, more than double the previous week. The death toll now stands at 1,366.

The British Medical Association (BMA) last night said it was "inevitable" the situation would get worse in the weeks ahead in terms of the outbreak and demands placed on hospitals.

The medical union called on politicians to enforce as "severe a lockdown as possible" to limit transmission.

"It's clear we're going to set more records this month in terms of the infection. The health service is going to come under severe pressure and it's not the Covid patients who are going to suffer but other patients with medical needs who need beds and intensive care," BMA chair Dr Tom Black said.

In early November, Dr Black told The Irish News that he believed primary schools should remain open in a stringent lockdown due to lower transmission rates among younger children. He said his view was based on research from an expert UK BMA panel.

When asked if schools in the north should re-open next week, he replied: "We don't know. We rely on the data of the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Advisor, we have to defer to them as they have the granular data.

"Our view has always been that the schools should be the last to close but it's starting to look like we're in the worst part of the pandemic and we want to do everything we can to reduce transmission rates."