The tight restrictions put in force over Christmas to try and combat the Covid-19 surge are finally paying dividends in Northern Ireland and especially Fermanagh and Omagh as positive cases continue to fall.

The Fermanagh and Omagh Council area can claim once again to have the lowest rate of cases per 100k of population 71.9, while positive cases over the last seven days have dropped to 84 compared to 145 from January 27 - February 2 according to the Department of Health’s daily update.

Breaking down the 84 positive cases in the last week by age - 12 were aged 19 and under; 22 between 20 and 39; 31 between 40 and 59; 16 aged between 60 and 79 and 3 aged 80 and over.

Only three people tested positive in the local Council area in the last 24 hours bringing the total to 5,427. 336 positive cases were recorded across Northern Ireland bringing the total to 107,774.

While there were four deaths reported across Northern Ireland increasing the death toll to 1,957, none of them were recorded locally where the death toll remains at 80.

BT94 and BT92 postcodes in Fermanagh also have some of the lowest rates of positive cases in Northern Ireland at 24.7 and 26.5 between February 1-7. BT92 has a rate of 92.3 while BT74's rate is 45.2.

Impartial Reporter:

There are currently 60 Covid inpatients in the Western Trust with 26 in SWAH. Across all hospitals in Northern Ireland there are 544 Covid inpatients.

SWAH currently has one ICU Covid occupied bed. Across Northern Ireland there are 61 Covid ICU patients with 57 of them on ventilators.

According to Wednesday's report, SWAH was operating just above 100 per cent capacity (100.59 per cent).

In care homes, there are 83 active outbreaks as of February 10, a fall of 23 compared with the previous seven days while there have been 20 outbreaks in the Western Trust.