There were six new Coronavirus death today – meaning 1,743 is the death toll in Ireland now.
While there has been a total of 23 new cases of Coronavirus have been diagnosed in Ireland today.
That means there is now a total of 25,565 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.
Airborne Transmission
The World Health Organization’s Special Envoy on Covid-19 has said the agency does not believes airborne transmission is a major cause of virus spread.
Dr David Nabarro repeated that the WHO believes the vast majority of cases are transmitted by droplets that come from the lungs and throat of an infected person when they cough and sneeze and this can be prevented by the two-metre physical distancing rule.
However, Dr Nabarro told RTÉ’s News at One that the agency is keeping an open mind as to whether, in some circumstances, further transmission is possible through airborne particles.
He said that there is not a categorical body of work to say that airborne transmission is really important.
However, WHO technical lead for infection prevention and control, Benedetta Allegranzi, acknowledged the evidence but said it was not yet definitive.
She said the possibility of airborne transmission “cannot be ruled out” in poorly-ventilated settings such as crowded and closed areas, but stressed that more evidence needed to be “gathered and interpreted”.
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.
