1,488 people have now died from Coronavirus in Ireland – an increase of 24 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 107 new cases of Coronavirus have been diagnosed in Ireland today.
This is an increase on the 23,135 cases from yesterday and takes the overall total to 23,242.
As of midnight Monday 11th May, 258,808 tests have been carried out.
Over the past week, 44,047 tests were carried out and of these 1,466 were positive, giving a positivity rate of 3.3%.
The National Public Health Emergency Team met today (Tuesday 12 May) to continue its ongoing review of Ireland’s response to COVID-19.
Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said; “We are continuing to examine the progress of the disease and though we are still making progress, which is giving us real encouragement, we need to keep going. We still have 70 people in ICU and over 500 people in hospital. We have more work to do.”
Rachel Kenna, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer, Department of Health, said: “Today marks International Nurses Day and 2020 is also International Year of the Nurse and Midwife. We did not expect to be marking this year amidst a Global Pandemic, however, our fellow nurses and midwives have risen to the challenge and remain a vital resource to our health service.
“Our nurses and midwives are working in high risk situations on a daily basis, delivering care in PPE, making personal sacrifices and continuing to provide compassionate care in a stressful environment.
“The public actions over the last number of weeks have meant nurses and midwives can continue to deliver care to those who need it. Please continue to support them during this time, hold firm and stay safe.”
Today’s data from the HPSC, as of midnight, Sunday 10th May (23,089 cases), reveals:
· 58% are female and 42% are male
· the median age of confirmed cases is 49 years
· 3,031 cases (13%) have been hospitalised
· Of those hospitalised, 386 cases have been admitted to ICU
· 6,906 cases are associated with healthcare workers
· Dublin has the highest number of cases at 11,235 (49% of all cases) followed by Kildare with 1,337 cases (6%) and then Cork with 1,234 cases (5%)
· Of those for whom transmission status is known: community transmission accounts for 61%, close contact accounts for 36%, travel abroad accounts for 3%
Northern Ireland, the UK and globally
There have been 9 further Covid-19 related deaths in Northern Ireland, bringing official total to 447.
There have been 44 new cases of Coronavirus, bringing the Northern Ireland total to 4,193.
The UK Coronavirus death toll increased by 627 in past 24 hours, taking total recorded fatalities to 32,692. They now have more deaths than Italy and the second highest in the world behind the USA who have 82,205.
There are now a total 4,303,000 cases of Coronavirus globally. There have been more than 289,000 deaths while 1,551,000 have recovered.
Gardaí to enforce two-week quarantine for passengers
Gardaí will be given the power to check up on passengers arriving in Ireland from overseas under new Covid-19 restrictions being considered by the Government.
Gardaí may call to the addresses of passengers to ensure they are adhering to self-isolation for two weeks after arrival in this country.
Strict new regulations are being drafted to make it a legal requirement for anyone arriving in Ireland to self-isolate and give the authorities details of where they will be staying.
Dentists awaiting ‘clear direction’ over safeguards
The Chief Executive of the Irish Dental Association has called for “clear direction” from the Government, the National Public Health Emergency Team and the Dental Council of Ireland on how dentists can resume their work.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Sarah McInerney, Fintan Hourihan welcomed assurances from Minister for Health Simon Harris that the Health Service Executive would support dentists in the sourcing of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
He said the State has not, to date, offered help to dentists in sourcing PPE.
ICU and Hospital Beds
According to the statistics, from the Health Service Executive, there are now 826 patients in these categories – 529 confirmed and 297 suspected cases.
The hospitals with the most confirmed cases are in Dublin. They are the Mater with 79 patients, Tallaght with 69 and St James’s with 62.
69 patients with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 are in intensive care units. There are 155 vacant critical care beds.
The number of vacant general hospital beds has been reducing and now stands at 1,181.
Masks
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has said that the use of face masks by the public should form part of plans for reopening Ireland from the coronavirus lock-down.
He also raised concern that the level of testing and contact tracing is “not where we should be” if the country is to reopen.
It comes as the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) continue to work on guidelines for the use of face coverings.
London station ticket office worker dies with Covid-19 after being spat at
A railway ticket office worker has died of coronavirus after being spat at while on duty.
Belly Mujinga, 47, was on the concourse of Victoria station in London in March when a member of the public who said he had Covid-19 spat and coughed at her and a colleague.
Ms Mujinga, who had underlying respiratory problems, was admitted to Barnet Hospital and put on a ventilator but died on April 5, her trade union, the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA), said.
McDonalds to reopen Drive Thru’s in Dublin
Fast food chain McDonalds has announced it is reopening six drive thru restaurants in Dublin on Wednesday May 20.
McDonalds’ restaurants across Ireland and the UK closed eight weeks ago over concerns linked to Covid-19.
The locations of the restaurants will be confirmed next week.
Most of the population still at risk as immunity ‘at only 6pc’
Most of the population has built up no immunity to the coronavirus, leaving them at risk of infection as the country begins to ease the lockdown.
Prof Paul Moynagh, head of the Department of Biology in Maynooth University, said although official figures show a total of 23,135 cases of the virus here so far it is likely the real number who have been infected is around 300,000.
He said people who have had the virus and recovered can develop antibodies which could potentially shield them from reinfection, although some scientists question the protection.
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.
SEE ALSO – Electric Picnic is CANCELLED for 2020 and ticket details confirmed
