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It’s the news that no one in Cork wanted to hear tonight – the Health Department announced that of the 363 new confirmed cases – 40 of them are in Cork.
The new cases, and sadly there has been another death, are broken down as: 154 cases are in Dublin, 40 in Cork, 23 in Donegal, 16 in Wexford, 15 in Roscommon, 14 in Galway, 14 in Monaghan, 11 in Kildare, 11 in Meath, 11 in Wicklow, 9 in Limerick, 6 in Clare, 5 in May, 5 in Tipperary with the remaining 29 cases in 9 counties.
A decision will be made this week on whether the city of Cork (and possibly the entire county), along with several other counties, will be placed in Level 3 this week, possibly on Thursday morning.
Cork’s GP, Dr. Ronan Boland, said he hopes the decision to impose new restrictions will be made given the steady increase in new cases, clustered in the city and surrounding towns.
He told Today With Claire Byrne on RTE radio that we may not be prepared for a major increase: on Sunday there were only three intensive care beds available between Cork’s two main hospitals, for a population of half a million.
“The ability is not there to cope with any increase in normal disease, let alone Covid-19,” said Dr. Bohan.
Both Cork University Hospital (CUH) and Mercy Hospital have been operating at full capacity during the summer months, he said.
Dr Boland added that his medical colleagues in Cork have been very concerned about “an increase in small fires” in the city and surrounding towns.
And he warned that each of these small outbreaks has the potential to “spread like fire” and become a bigger problem.
One of the key measures used by health officials is the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases per 100,000 residents during the past 14 days, also known as the Incidence Rate.
This interactive chart shows the most recent incidence rates for each county; you can scroll over the columns to compare counties.
Right now, the key metrics for Cork and other counties facing spikes, or localized clusters, look like this:
- cork
- Incidence rate: 65.8
- Cases in the last two weeks: 357
- Specific warnings: Be watched closely by the Health Department for a possible move to Level Three after worrisome trends emerged.
This means that County Rebel is not yet at the level of Donegal, which has been placed at level 3 along with Dublin.
- Donegal
- Incidence rate: 191.0
- Cases in the last two weeks: 304
- Specific Warnings: Currently on level three lockdown.
But it puts us higher than Galway, which is also being watched by the Health Department:
- Galway
- Incidence rate: 61.6
- Cases in the last two weeks: 159
- Specific warnings: Be watched closely by the Health Department for a possible move to Level Three after worrisome trends emerged.
A major concern for public health officials is a sudden and significant increase in new cases and hospitalizations putting unsustainable pressure on our hospitals as CUH and Mercy cannot handle a sudden demand for ICU beds.
In terms of what Level 3 will mean for Cork, it is a big step up from Level 2 and measures include:
- Visitors will be barred from nursing and nursing homes except for compassionate reasons, and even then, they will only be allowed to enter with full protective gear.
- Six visitors from another home can visit him in an outdoor setting.
- Pubs and restaurants can only serve customers in an outdoor setting.
- Some companies will close or have to limit their operations.
- People will be asked to work from home and travel will be recommended for essential reasons only.
There will also be very strict restrictions on indoor and outdoor events, for example only 25 people are allowed at a wedding or reception.
Dr. Ronan Glynn has again appealed to the public tonight to be vigilant, report any symptoms immediately, and stay as socially isolated as possible, which means avoiding unnecessary contact or meeting with people.
“If you begin to experience symptoms, stay home and contact your GP to assess your need for a COVID-19 test as soon as possible,” the Acting Medical Director said.
“If you have been informed that you are a close contact of someone who has the disease, do not meet with other people, including your family or friends, do not go to work or college, do not play sports, and take a test when it is offered “.
“I know these are tough decisions for people to make, but each individual effort will have a significant impact on the spread of this disease and ultimately the number of deaths we can prevent this winter.”
Now that it seems like a case of when and not if Cork goes to Level 3, the Health Department and the Government hope that people in Cork and other parts of the country will be able to stand their ground and take as many precautions as possible. in what is increasingly emerging as a critical point in this latest phase of the fight against this pandemic.
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