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There have been 825 new cases and one more coronavirus-related death confirmed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet).
The latest figures from Monday night bring to 43,531 the number of confirmed cases in the state since the pandemic began and the death toll to 1,827.
The figures emerge as discussions continue on whether additional regional or national restrictions are required to curb the rise in the number of Covid-19 cases.
Government sources said there were discussions in Dublin about a quick move to Level 4 for the Republic’s border counties in an attempt to limit cross-border infections.
This follows Monday’s news that North Korea’s chief medical officer, Dr. Michael McBride, is advocating a six-week lockdown to halt rising infection rates in Northern Ireland.
Of the last cases in the Republic, 254 occurred in Dublin, 147 in Cork, 39 in Cavan, 38 in Donegal, 37 in Kildare and the remaining 310 cases are distributed in another 20 counties.
Approximately 78% of the new cases were under 45 years of age and the median age was 30.
Border counties were shown to have the largest per capita increase in the past fortnight.
In Cavan, the 14-day incident rate per 100,000 residents was 385.9. In Donegal it was 354.9 and in Monaghan it was 330.7. The next highest counties were Clare at 266 and Roscommon at 199.9.
The national average was 167.8 per 100,000, covering the period from September 28 to October 11.
At 2:00 p.m. on Monday, 224 patients with Covid-19 were hospitalized, of which 32 were in the ICU. There were 20 additional hospitalizations in the last 24 hours.
Hospitalizations increased more than 80 percent in the past week, from 120 a week ago.
Northern Ireland recorded three more deaths and 877 new cases of Covid-19 on Monday when Stormont’s Executive Ministers met to consider Dr McBride’s recommendation of a six-week shutdown.
The death toll in the north from Covid-19 has risen to 591, while there have been 21,035 confirmed cases.
The Derry and Strabane council area, where there are additional restrictions, is experiencing 971 virus cases per 100,000 residents, with Belfast reporting 455 cases per 100,000.
Some parts of Northern Ireland are experiencing relatively low incidence levels. In Mid and East Antrim, the figure is 87 cases per 100,000 and in Ards and North Down 131 cases.
Two month window
Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) special envoy on Covid-19, Dr. David Nabarro, said that there would be “a lot of illnesses and deaths in Ireland in the next two months” if people were not careful.
He said Ireland should focus on getting everyone to adhere to preventive measures. Dr. Nabarro told Newstalk Breakfast that there was a middle way between a complete lockdown and the easing of restrictions. A national blockade should only be considered when the numbers are “very bad.”
He also said he did not like fines for non-compliance with regulations and said he preferred that people choose to do the right thing.
High government figures have emphasized that there were no immediate plans for a brief shutdown, known as a “circuit breaker,” despite deterioration in coronavirus metrics over the weekend.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin on Sunday urged members of the public to change their behaviors so that “we can make Level 3 work, protect lives and livelihoods” and stop the spread of Covid-19.
Dr. Nabarro said that not going from Level 3 to Level 5 was risky. It would be from a month to six weeks before it was known if that had been the “right way”.
Dr. Nabarro pointed out that there has been a real accumulation of the virus in other parts of Europe, there was no reason to believe that Ireland was going to escape.
“If you are going to stay at Level 3, do everything you can to stop the spread of the virus,” he urged.
Ability to build
HSE COO Anne O’Connor has said the health service is building system-wide capacity for Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 pathways. The goal is for patients to be treated at home, in the community and in hospitals, he said.
Ms O’Connor told RTÉ Radio’s Today with Claire Byrne show that 700 healthcare workers participated in Covid testing and another 100 in contact tracing. The goal was for these workers to return to their jobs shortly, while contact tracing capacity was developed, as they would be needed during the winter to treat patients with Covid and non-Covid diseases.
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