1,446 people have now died from Coronavirus in Ireland – an increase of 18 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 219 new cases of Coronavirus have been diagnosed in Ireland today.
This is an increase on the 22,541 cases from yesterday and takes the overall total to 22,760.
Today’s data from the HPSC, as of midnight, Thursday 7 May (22,495 cases), reveals:
· 57% are female and 43% are male
· the median age of confirmed cases is 49 years
· 2,954 cases (13%) have been hospitalised
· Of those hospitalised, 381 cases have been admitted to ICU
· 6,669 cases are associated with healthcare workers
· Dublin has the highest number of cases at 10,948 (49% of all cases) followed by Kildare with 1,317 cases (6%) and then Cork with 1,205 cases (5%)
· Of those for whom transmission status is known: community transmission accounts for 61%, close contact accounts for 35%, travel abroad accounts for 3%
Northern Ireland, the UK and globally
There have been 4 further Covid-19 related deaths in Northern Ireland, bringing official total to 430.
There have been 56 new cases of Coronavirus, bringing the Northern Ireland total to 4,078.
The UK Coronavirus death toll increased by 346 in past 24 hours, taking total recorded fatalities to 31,587. They now have more deaths than Italy and the second highest in the world behind the USA who have 78,802.
There are now a total 4,053,000 cases of Coronavirus globally. There have been more than 277,000 deaths while 1,412,000 have recovered.
HSA authorised to close non-compliant firms under plan
The government plan to re-open workplaces will be mandatory, and the Health and Safety Authority will be allowed to shut down businesses that do not comply.
Speaking at the launch of the plan, Minister for Business Heather Humphreys said the protocol will apply to all workplaces across the country, and will be the minimum required before they can re-open but she said that specific sectors may need additional measures.
She said each workplace will have one lead worker representative to ensure the measures are strictly adhered to.
Employers will also have to interview employees, provide induction training on their return to the workplace and have a plan for dealing with a case of Covid-19.
Fall in number of people in ICU with Covid-19
Minister for Health Simon Harris has said the number of people in intensive care in Irish hospitals with confirmed cases of Covid-19 has fallen further.
There are now 72 patients with confirmed cases of the virus in ICU, compared with 76 yesterday and 99 last Saturday.
Mr Harris said this was good progress but he urged people to build on this trend and finish the job together. He said he was thinking of the 72 patients and their families this morning.
Passengers to UK may face mandatory quarantine
The UK Government could be set to announce a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all passengers into Britain as part of measures aimed at avoiding a second Covid-19 peak, according to reports in British media.
The Times newspaper said travellers from the Republic of Ireland will be excluded from the quarantine.
Under the measures, which are expected to be implemented in June, all passengers arriving at airports and ports will be required to provide an address at which they will immediately self-isolate for 14 days.
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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