1,159 people have now died from Coronavirus in Ireland – an increase of 59 from yesterday.
It is important to note that not all of these people passed away today and that this is the number that were reported to the Department of Health today.
These people will have passed away in recent days and not just today.
While there has been a total of 229 new cases of Coronavirus have been diagnosed in Ireland today.
This is an increase on the cases from yesterday and takes the overall total to 19,877.
As of midnight Monday 27 April, 153,054 tests have been carried out. Over the past week, 41,470 tests were carried out and of these 5,335 were positive, giving a positivity rate of 12.9%.
The National Public Health Emergency Team met today (Tuesday 28 April) to determine a phased, risk-based, public health approach to inform any change to measures currently in place.
It will continue to review evidence to enable the Minister for Health to make formal recommendations to Government over the coming days.
Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said: “While there are many facets to Ireland’s approach to managing the impact of COVID-19, NPHET’s primary responsibility is to consider the impact on the public’s health and to advise on measures that can limit that impact.”
Today’s data from the HPSC, as of midnight, Sunday 26th April (19,383 cases), reveals:
· 58% are female and 42% are male
· the median age of confirmed cases is 49 years
· 2,638 cases (14%) have been hospitalised
· Of those hospitalised, 358 cases have been admitted to ICU
· 5,414 cases are associated with healthcare workers
· Dublin has the highest number of cases at 9,624 (50% of all cases) followed by Kildare with 1,147 cases (6%) and then Cork with 1,126 cases (6%)
· Of those for whom transmission status is known: community transmission accounts for 63%, close contact accounts for 33%, travel abroad accounts for 3%
Northern Ireland, the UK and globally
There have been 20 further deaths as result of Coronavirus in hospitals in Northern Ireland, the biggest single daily increase.
It brings the total number of fatalities in hospitals to 329. Also, there have been 34 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the total to 3,408.
The UK Coronavirus reported deaths rose again by 586 in past 24 hours. This is a 38% increase on yesterday’s number (which was lower due to weekend lag). A total of 21,678 people have now died in hospital.
British health minister Matt Hancock has said in the daily Downing Street briefing that from tomorrow onwards, the UK Government will publish figures for deaths in nursing homes and in the community as well as deaths in hospitals.
The UK is on track to become one of Europe’s worst-hit countries in the coronavirus pandemic, according to data that showed deaths from Covid-19 had already topped 20,000 by 17 April, including a fast-rising toll in care homes.
There are now a total 3,094,000 cases of Coronavirus globally. There have been more than 213,000 deaths while 938,000 have recovered.
New testing criteria
The new clinical criteria for being eligible for testing have been given to GPs and apply from today.
The patient now needs to have only one of the following three symptoms: Sudden onset of cough, fever or shortness of breath, indicating onset of an acute respiratory illness.
They must also be in the priority group to be eligible for testing.
The priority groups for Covid-19 testing also now include:
Household contacts of health care workers and at-risk groups.
Staff and residents of nursing homes and other residential care settings. Pregnant women, to ensure they can be managed safely in hospital. Prison staff and inmates.
Groups most at risk of severe infection include those with the following vulnerable conditions: Heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, chronic lung disease, active malignancy in the last 5 years, chronic liver disease, chronic renal disease, cerebrovascular disease, as well as those who need to cocoon.
Children with Coronavirus
Kim Roberts, Assistant Professor of Virology at Trinity College in Dublin, said the data in relation to children contracting the coronavirus is not yet clear.
He said: “”If we just ask people who have symptoms to self isolate then we’re not going to prevent transmission. Children aren’t showing the same classical symptoms. If we identify people who are infected based only on symptoms then it’s highly likely we’ll miss infected children.”
While Dr Patrick Galvin, a consultant at Crumlins Children’s hospital told RTÉ’s News at One, that there has been only 20 children with confirmed coronavirus disease hospitalised in Ireland, and only two children placed in intensive care and no paediatric deaths here.
Ligue 1 cancelled in France
The 2019-20 season in France has been cancelled after the prime minister Edouard Philippe announced football games – even behind closed doors – will not be allowed before September.
Last week, the French Professional Football League (LFP) announced plans for Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 to resume on June 17, with UEFA setting a deadline of August 2 for domestic leagues to be completed.
However, it was announced on Tuesday afternoon by Philippe that the return of games will not be authorised before September, even behind closed doors, as part of the next stage of their lockdown plans beyond May 11.
What that means for the Premier League remains to be seen.
Important information
Symptoms of Covid-19 include:
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Fever
- Breathing difficulties.
Further resources:
- The HSE: Official advice on the coronavirus in Ireland. This is being updated based on the number of confirmed cases and how the virus spreads in Ireland.
- The Department of Foreign Affairs: Official advice on where to avoid travelling to. Also a resource for those who are abroad.
- The World Health Organization (WHO): The UN agency on global public health publishes statements and daily situation reports based on the latest data.
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC): The EU agency on the number of cases, deaths and how it’s spreading in Europe.
- The Johns Hopkins University map: A heat map of the confirmed cases across the world.
A helpline for older people who are concerned about the coronavirus has been launched by Alone. The number is 0818 222 024, and it’s open Monday to Friday, 8am-8pm.
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