For the second time, there have been no new deaths from Coronavirus reported today.
1,706 people have died from the virus so far.
While there has been a total of 18 new cases of Coronavirus have been diagnosed in Ireland today.
This is an increase on the total cases from yesterday and takes the overall total to 25,321.
Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said; “An analysis of cases reported in the last fourteen days tells us that the number of daily cases remains on a downward trend.
“This combined with hospitalisation and ICU trends indicates that the behaviours adopted by the general public continue to suppress the disease in the community.”
Dr. Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said; “Based on our research to date, almost 1.7 million people are now reporting wearing face coverings in public places.
“This is an increase of 6 per cent or almost three hundred thousand people in a week and shows that the message is getting across.”
Dr Siobhán Ni Bhriain, Consultant Psychiatrist and HSE Integrated Care Lead, said; “If you go onto public transport, or into retail environments or any place where you can’t be sure a 2m physical distance from other people is possible, you should wear a face covering.
“Face coverings are also strongly advised when visiting vulnerable people.”
Today’s data from the HPSC, as of midnight, Saturday 13 June (25,303 cases), reveals:
· 57% are female and 43% are male
· the median age of confirmed cases is 48 years
· 3,278 cases (13%) have been hospitalised
· Of those hospitalised, 417 cases have been admitted to ICU
· 8,130 cases are associated with healthcare workers
· Dublin has the highest number of cases at 12,213 (48% of all cases) followed by Cork with 1,533 cases (6%) and then Kildare with 1,434 cases (6%)
· Of those for whom transmission status is known: community transmission accounts for 37%, close contact accounts for 60%, travel abroad accounts for 2%
Northern Ireland, the UK and globally
For the second consecutive day, and sixth time in nine days, there have been no Coronavirus related deaths recorded in Northern Ireland during the past 24 hours – the death toll remaining at 541.
There are four new cases of Covid-19, taking the total to 4,852. Currently, there are 38 confirmed Coronavirus patients in hospital and five of them are in intensive care.
The UK Coronavirus death toll increased by 32 in past 24 hours, taking total recorded fatalities to 41,730.
There are now more than 8 million cases of Coronavirus globally. There have been more than 436,000 deaths while 4,149,000 have recovered.
Antibody test
The Health Service Executive is writing letters to more than 5,000 people, inviting them to take part in a study to measure exposure to Covid-19.
Those who take part will be asked to complete a questionnaire and provide a blood sample. The letters are being sent to people in Dublin and Sligo to invite them to take part in the study.
It will measure exposure to Covid-19 in the population using an antibody blood test in counties with some of the highest and lowest levels of infection.
Nursing Homes bring back visits
Nursing homes around the country were given the green light to allow visitors for the first time since March today.
It has advised that visits should not last more than 30 minutes, so most homes have introduced booking systems to enable them stagger visitors throughout the week.
But not all homes will open today nor are they required to unless the person in charge feels it is safe to do so.
New outbreak in China
Beijing has raced to control a fresh coronavirus outbreak, with 75 cases linked to a single wholesale food market in the city where authorities have locked down neighbourhoods and begun a massive test and trace programme.
The outbreak in China, where the disease first emerged last year, had largely been brought under control until a fresh batch of cases was detected in the capital last week.
Health officials reported 49 new coronavirus cases nationwide today, including 36 more in Beijing where a cluster linked to the Xinfadi market has fuelled fears of a second wave of infections.
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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