News DigestsStay on top of the latest newsSIGN UP HERE During the first wave, rates were relatively low â indeed Derry and Strabane were among the lowest in Northern Ireland â but this changed rapidly as the summer ended; by October the rate of infection on Derryâs Cityside was the worst on these islands â if not farther afield â at more than 1,000 cases per 100,000 people. Measured against that benchmark, the region is clearly in a much better place. According to Fridayâs figures from the Department of Health in Northern Ireland, there were 45.8 cases per 100,000 people over the past seven days in Derry and Strabane â still the highest in the North, and more than three times higher than the Northern Irish average of 25.2 â but, importantly, lower than they were a week ago.