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Another 84 confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been notified to the National Public Health Emergency Team, it reported Wednesday night. This brings the total number of cases of the disease in the Republic to 30,164.
Three more deaths were reported, bringing the total number of deaths to 1,781.
The breeding number, a measure of how many people a case infects, now stands near 1 but 1.4 in Dublin, according to Professor Philip Nolan, chairman of the NPHET epidemiological modeling advisory group.
Professor Nolan said that “if nothing changes … the cases in Dublin would double every 14 days or so”.
He added that the virus had “started to spread from the young population to the older population. That is a very important concern for us. “
Of the 87 new cases, 51 are in Dublin, six in Offaly, five in Kildare, and the remaining 22 cases are in Cork, Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Meath, Roscommon, Tipperary, Westmeath, and Wicklow.
Dr. Ronan Glynn, Acting Medical Director, said: “We continue to see a disturbing pattern of cases, particularly in Dublin. Transmission is diffuse throughout the county, across all age groups, and driven primarily by social interaction within and between households. “
Dr. Colm Henry, HSE Clinical Director, said; “The greatest risk of transmission to school-age children is in the home. International experience reveals that the reopening of schools has not been associated with a significant increase in community transmission. Instead, it is the transmission of the virus within communities that poses the greatest threat to schools. Again, we urge all households to think carefully about their social plans. Stay within the six-person indoor / 15-outdoor gathering limits and apply physical distancing in all settings. “
A total of 307 new cases were reported Tuesday, the highest number since mid-May, along with the first death in nearly a month. Dublin accounted for 182 of Tuesday’s new cases, prompting Dr. Glynn to express concern about the growing number of cases in the capital. In recent days he has stressed the need to stabilize the numbers in Dublin and Limerick.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Wednesday there was a lot of concern about rising numbers in Dublin and Limerick, but ruled out immediate local restrictions for the two counties.
Martin said the government’s longer-term plan to control the virus, due to be launched next Tuesday, would “more comprehensively address” the spikes in Covid-19 cases in the two counties.
“No specific decisions have been made regarding those counties at this time and NPHET will continue to monitor the situation,” he told reporters at a news conference in government buildings.
There will be a Covid-19 cabinet meeting on Thursday where this will be discussed “in great detail,” he said.
The message to people in Dublin and Limerick was to remain “very vigilant, distance yourself socially, reduce your social contacts,” he said.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar questioned the need to introduce restrictions in Dublin and Limerick when the incidence of Covid-19 cases is higher in Belfast or other European cities.
“As a Dublin citizen and resident and minister responsible for business and employment, I would like the public health people to give me a very good justification as to why we would do something more drastic in Dublin or Limerick than is being done in other cities in Europe that may have a higher incidence ”, he said.
When asked if the government was considering measures similar to those in Glasgow, where people cannot visit other people’s homes to stop infections, Varadkar said he did not know if they had worked and would need to be analyzed first.
Mr. Varadkar said that the public managed to bring the virus down to very low levels in early summer with public health measures and that people need to “step up that” to avoid further restrictions.
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