Another huge ramp up in Covid-19 cases.
Ireland has suffered another enormous increase in its number of Covid-19 cases, with the National Public Health Emergency Team today announcing 174 new confirmed diagnoses.
Additionally, one more person has died of Covid-19 in Ireland. Taking into account the denotification of one death, Ireland's current death toll now stands at 1,772.
Dr Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said: "While today’s numbers of confirmed cases are high, they are not unexpected. As I said last night, we are expecting significant numbers of cases to be reported over the coming days.
110 of the latest cases are located in Kildare, 27 in Dublin, 7 in Cork, 7 in Offaly, 6 in Meath and 17 are spread across thirteen other counties (Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Donegal, Galway, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Mayo, Roscommon, Tipperary, Wexford and Wicklow).
The profile of the cases also seems to be increasing, with 69% under the age of 45.
“Throughout this week, we have been testing all workers in facilities where outbreaks of COVID-19 have been identified as well as close contacts of those people who have received COVID positive results. Tonight’s figures are a reflection of these measures with 118 of these cases linked to the counties of Kildare, Laois and Offaly," Glynn noted.
"Our priority now and our reason for recommending the proactive measures announced last night, is to avoid these cases and clusters leading to widespread community transmission of the disease.
It was announced last night that Kildare, Laois and Offaly would all be put under a local lockdown, as their incidence is so much higher than the national average.
Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said: "As outlined by the Acting Chief Medical Officer at the press conference last night, the 14-day incidence per 100,000 population in Kildare, Laois and Offaly is worryingly high. While the national incidence stands at 16.3 per 100,000, in Kildare it stands at 130.3, in Laois it is 69.7 and in Offaly it is 89.8.
"Should these cases result in widespread transmission, it could undo a lot of the good work that we have done as a country so far to control the spread of this virus. The measures introduced by NPHET last night represent a proactive and proportionate response to the current situation in these counties."
