There has been a total of 254 new cases of Coronavirus have been diagnosed in Ireland today.
Of these, 136 are in Dublin, 20 in Donegal, 13 in Louth, 12 in Wicklow, 9 in Waterford, 7 Carlow, 7 in Cork, 6 in Galway, 5 in Kerry, 5 in Wexford and the remaining 28 cases are located in Clare, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Mayo, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon and Westmeath.
24 of these cases have been identified as community transmission – meaning that the source of infection cannot be determined.
2,679 cases have been notified in last 14 days. 1,477 cases were in Dublin, 122 in Kildare, 114 in Louth, 102 in Limerick and 83 in Waterford. Remaining 781 cases spread across 21 counties.
There is now a total of 31,799 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.
Sadly, there have been three new deaths – meaning 1,788 is the death toll.
There are now 73 people in hospital with nine new admissions in the last 24 hours.
Dr. Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said; “The current situation has deteriorated both in Dublin and nationally over the past week.
“Along with Dublin we have seen particularly concerning trends in Louth, Waterford and Donegal. It is now absolutely essential that people action public health advice and act as if they or those close to them are potentially infectious.”
Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said “The reproduction number is between 1.3 – 1.7 nationally. I am more concerned than I have been at any point since late April.
“Case numbers appear to be growing exponentially and are likely to double every 10 to 14 days if every one of us does not immediately act to break chains of transmission of the virus.
“If we do not interrupt transmission now, bring the r-number back to below 1, modelling shows that we could have 500 -1,000 cases per day by the 16th of October, 50-60% of which would be in Dublin.”
Dr Colm Henry, Chief Clinical Officer, HSE, said; “There are currently 73 COVID-19 patients in hospital, 9 of these have been admitted in the past 24 hours. 14 of these patients are in ICU.
“We are seeing a sharp increase in rate of admissions of COVID-19 patients into our acute hospitals. We know that without a reversal of these trends, admissions can escalate rapidly to the point where our healthcare facilities will be under unsustainable pressure. It is more essential than ever that we all adhere to the basic measures which can weaken the virus in the community.”
Dr. Mary Favier, COVID-19 advisor to the Irish College of General Practitioners, said: “While we have been conducting a large number of tests on children, thanks to the vigilance of parents around symptoms and contacting GP’s with concerns, we have not witnessed a disproportionate rise in the number of confirmed cases in children.”
Dublin edging towards Level 3
Dublin could be facing further Covid-19 restrictions by the end of the week as the numbers of coronavirus cases continue to rise in the city and county.
Ministers have warned that the capital appeared on course to move from Level 2 to Level 3 under the Government’s new plan.
New public health measures for Dublin came into effect today.
The targeted restrictions are aimed at suppressing Covid-19 in the capital, where new cases of the coronavirus have increased steadily in recent weeks.
Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has said there is “a very real and strong possibility” that guidance for Dublin could change by the end of the week and the capital could be faced with further restrictions.
Everyone should be aware of the risk factors for getting COVID-19:
- Distance – the risk of getting COVID-19 increases as the distance between you and others gets smaller. Keep 2 metres apart where possible
- Activity – How you spend time with people and what you do with them can increase your risk. Follow the government’s Stay Safe Guidelines when spending time with others
- Time – The more time you spend in close contact with other people can increase your risk of getting COVID-19. Keep track of who you spend time with and how
- Environment – Being outdoors is safer than being indoors. Where possible, meet with others outdoors. If this is not possible, keep windows and doors open when meeting others inside
- Symptoms – Know the symptoms. If you have them self-isolate and contact your GP immediately
Public Health Advice for all citizens available here:
Know the symptoms of COVID-19
- a fever (high temperature – 38 degrees Celsius or above)
- a cough – this can be any kind of cough, not just dry
- shortness of breath or breathing difficulties
- loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
- flu like symptoms
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