Covid postcode breakdown across Fermanagh/Omagh

NEW statistics released by the Department for Health this week show for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began a more detailed breakdown of the cases in each postcode locality.

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council as a whole continues to have the lowest number of cases of any of he 11 local government districts, but the area has now reached a notable if dubious milestone.

As of Tuesday of this week, the number of people in the area who have tested positive for COVID-19 is at 1013.

This represents a total rate of 867 per 100k of population.

The figures also show that the 1013 positive cases comes out of a total number of 24, 264 people who have been tested.

In addition, the two postcode areas covering the Omagh area – BT78 and BT79 – have different rates.

In BT78, an area which covers west of Omagh towards Dromore, Trillick, Fintona and Drumquin, as well as Newtownstewart in the Derry and Strabane district, there have been 106 positive cases in the period from October 12 to October 18. This represents a rate of 348.3 per 100k of population.

In BT79, which covers east of Omagh including Gortin, Carrickmore, Loughmacrory, Creggan, Plumbridge, Beragh and Sixmilecross, there have been 88 positive cases reported in the past week from October 12-18. This figure represents a rate of 318.7 per 100k of the population.

While the growing number of cases means that there is no room for complacency in the battle against the virus, the numbers in Fermanagh and Omagh are still well below those reported in the two other local government districts which cover Tyrone – Mid-Ulster and Derry and Strabane.

In the BT71 post code area, which covers Coalisland, Moy, Stewartstown, Ardboe and Blackwatertown, there have been 223 positive cases in the period from October 12-18. In total, 1356 people have tested positive in that area, a rate of 516 per 100,000 population.

There were were 61 positive cases in the past week in the BT70 postcode area which covers Dungannon, Ballygawley, Cabragh, Pomeroy and Donaghmore.

It has a rate of 281 per 100,000 population, making it the lowest of all areas locally currently.

In the BT80 postcode area, covering Cookstown, there have been 173 positive cases in the past week.

Overall in Mid-Ulster, the number of positive cases on Tuesday stood at 2304 while in Derry and Strabane the figure was 4439.