FERMANAGH and Omagh District Council currently has the highest seven-day rate per 100k people in Northern Ireland, with a rate of 258.5, compared to the Northern Ireland (NI) average such rate of 194.9.

From December 5-11, the seven-day rate per 100k people in Fermanagh and Omagh stood at 179.7 - the first time that the Council area has had the highest such rate since the pandemic began.

The Council area has recorded 68 positive cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours - the third-highest of all Council areas in NI, behind Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council (92) and Newry, Mourne and Down (74).

The latest figure brings the total to 2,848 positive cases in the Council area.

It comes as the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) is currently operating at 104.9 per cent of its bed occupancy, while the overall health system in NI is currently at 101 per cent.

Across NI, 640 people tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of positive cases to 61,437 people.

There were also a further 17 deaths reported (13 within the past 24-hour reporting period, four outside the reporting period), bringing the total deaths to 1,183 people. One of the deaths was in the Council area, which remains the least affected area, with 42 deaths overall.

Looking at positive cases by postal district, from December 7-14, the BT94 area had 54 positive cases, at a rate of 334 per 100k of population - the fourth+highest rate in NI. BT74 had 50 cases, BT92 had 18, while BT93 had 14.

There have been 302 positive cases in the past seven days, compared to 210 in the week from December 5-11.

Some 36 people were aged 19 and under; 99 were aged between 20 and 39; 92 between 40 and 59; 50 between 60 and 25; and 18 were aged 80 and over.

The seven-day rate per 100k of population is currently 258.5, compared to 179.7 from December 5-11.

There are currently 61 Covid-19 in-patients in the Western Trust, with 21 of those at the SWAH. There have been 39 admissions and 39 discharges in the past seven days.

Across the Trusts, there are currently 427 Covid in-patients. The number of ICU Covid-occupied beds stands at 30, with two of those at the SWAH. All other ICU beds at the SWAH are currently unoccupied, and 23 Covid patients are currently on ventilators.

Confirmed care home outbreaks are currently at 82 - a drop of 28 compared to the previous seven days.