13 deaths and 938 new confirmed cases in Ireland

HEALTH OFFICIALS ANNOUNCED that there have been an additional 938 new confirmed Covid-19 cases in Ireland.

The National Public Health Emergency Team also reported 13 other deaths.

The deaths bring to 2,184 the number of people who have died in this country since the start of the pandemic with a total of 82,155 cases.

Of the cases reported today, 300 are in Dublin, 110 in Cork, 72 in Limerick, 68 in Donegal, 41 in Kildare and the remaining 347 cases are spread across 21 other counties.

The new cases come as Ireland faces an increase in cases that was described today as the fastest growing increase in Europe.

NPHET has also said that “preliminary data” suggests that the UK’s new Covid-19 variant has been identified in Ireland for the first time.

Medical Director Dr. Tony Holohan said that NPHET met today and “reviewed the current epidemiological situation and has made recommendations to the government.”

“All the indicators of the disease are increasing and increasing rapidly. Our level of concern continues to rise. We must do everything we can, individually and collectively, to change the course of this disease, “he said.

Review your Christmas plans to ensure that social contacts are limited and that hand hygiene, physical distance, ventilation and face covering measures are in place if you must have visitors in your home.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ronan Glynn said the current epidemiological situation is “the most serious since last March.”

“People must act at all times as if they or the people they come in contact with are contagious. The disease has spread to all parts of the country and all age groups, we must act now to protect each other, ”he said.

Ireland’s five-day moving average prior to today was 714 boxes a day, almost double that at this time last week. The five-day moving average is now 785.

Professor Philip Nolan, chair of the NPHET Ireland Epidemiological Modeling Advisory Group, said the situation has deteriorated further in the past two days.

“The breeding number (R) is higher than what we have reported since March at 1.5 – 1.8. The day-to-day growth rate is estimated at 7–9%. These data emphasize the need for us to be exceptionally careful during Christmas and to strictly adhere to public health guidelines, ”said Nolan.

The R number refers to the number of other people infected by a confirmed case.

Nolan said tonight that he was “not sure” that the new Covid-19 restrictions that have been introduced would bring the R number below 1.

“I’m not sure that by themselves they are enough, especially considering where we started from, since we started with a reproduction number that is undoubtedly 1.6 and could reach 1.8. It is difficult to see how that set of measures would reduce the number of reproduction below 1 “.