There has been a total of 390 new cases of Coronavirus have been diagnosed in Ireland today.
That means that there is now a total of 35,377 cases notified in Ireland.
Of the cases notified today: 189 are men /199 are women; 66% are under 45 years of age; 36% are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case; 45 cases have been identified as community transmission.
Of today’s cases, 209 cases are in Dublin, 27 in Cork, 22 in Donegal, 21 in Galway,14 in Kildare, 14 in Monaghan, 7 in Roscommon, 7 in Tipperary, 7 in Waterford, 7 in Wexford, 6 in Limerick, 6 in Longford, 5 in Laois, 5 in Meath, 5 in Offaly, 5 in Sligo, with the remaining 23 cases in 8 counties.
There have been 4,203 cases notified in the last 14 days. 2,160 of these are in Dublin, 357 in Cork, 304 in Donegal, 175 in Kildare and 159 in Louth. The remaining 1,048 cases are spread across the remaining 21 counties.
Thankfully, there have been no further deaths – meaning 1,802 is the death toll.
Dr Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said: “I am asking everyone, but particularly those living and working in Cork, Galway, Monaghan and Roscommon, to adhere to the public health advice. There is still time to get the virus back under control in these areas, break the chains of transmission and stop the spread of this highly infectious disease in these communities.
“We know the key actions to take to stay safe, by keeping a 2m distance, reducing your social contacts, wearing a face mask, covering coughs and sneezes and staying at home and contacting your GP if you start to feel unwell, you are doing everything you can to take care of yourself and those around you.”
Jerick Martin, Healthcare worker, said: “I was a fit and healthy man in my thirties, working and enjoying my life. Within five days of experiencing my first symptoms of COVID-19 I was admitted to hospital, where I spent 68 days in intensive care, most of that time on a ventilator, in an induced coma. This disease does not care that you are young, fit and healthy. It does not care that you have a family who are waiting for you to come home. Anyone can catch it, and anyone can become very sick.”
Dr. Michael Power, Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine, Beaumount Hospital, said: “Jerick Martin’s story and experience tell us that the COVID virus was and remains unforgiving, unrelenting and dangerous. It reminds us that compliance with public health measures is to key to limiting the spread of this disease.”
Lorna Fitzpatrick, President of the Union of Students in Ireland said: “This is a really difficult time for young people, but students have a vital role to play in keeping everyone in the community safe. My message to students today is to keep the public health guidelines in mind when you are making plans and decisions about where to go and who to see. Also, it is so important to take care of your mental health at this time. Make sure you are reaching out to friends and family on the phone, online and in small, safe ways in person. Remember that talking to others and asking for help when you need it is essential at the moment.”
Liam Woods, HSE National Director, Acute Operations said: “The front line on COVID-19 is in the ICU wards and in the hospitals. As numbers increase in the community, the pressure on healthcare workers and frontline services intensifies. We need to continue to pull together in the coming weeks to minimise the spread of the disease in our homes, our communities and our workplaces, to ease the pressure on vital COVID and non-COVID healthcare services.”
15-24 year old category
A quarter of all new cases of Covid-19 in the last two weeks have been among younger people aged between 15 and 24.
From September 13 to 26, there were 4,022 new cases of the virus reported.
There were 114 cases in young children aged between 0 and 4, while a further 325 cases occurred in children between 5 and 14.
The highest number of cases reported in this two-week period is among 15 to 24-year-olds with 984 cases among that age group.
There were also 708 cases among the 25 to 34-year-olds, 576 cases in the 35 to 44 age bracket, 552 among the 45 to 54-year-olds, 375 in the 55 to 64 age group, 236 cases among 65 to 74-year-olds and 106 cases in the 75 to 84 group.
There were just 44 cases recorded among people aged over 85.
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
