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Another 102 confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been notified to the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), it said Monday night. This brings the total number of cases of the disease in the Republic to 29,774.
No more deaths were reported, leaving the total number of deaths at 1,777. More than half of the cases (56) are in Dublin, 11 in Leitrim, 6 in Galway and 29 cases in Carlow, Cavan, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Tipperary, Westmeath and Wexford.
Dr. Ronan Glynn, Acting Medical Director, said: “We are monitoring the number of cases nationwide with increasing concern, particularly in Limerick and Dublin. The next seven days are vital; everyone needs to reduce their contacts and assume that anyone they know can be a carrier of the virus. “
Professor Pete Lunn, head of ESRI’s Behavioral Research Unit, urged people to get out. Get in the habit of going outside, socializing and exercising safely and automatically distancing yourself physically from others. Adapt to covid-responsible behaviors inside and outside the home. “
“Plan the milestones; such as Halloween, Christmas and New Year’s Eve within a Covid-19 environment. Be innovative in how you can safely celebrate with your loved ones.
Meanwhile, new data shows that Ireland has the lowest joint death rate from Covid-19 in Europe today.
Along with seven other countries, Ireland has a 14-day cumulative death rate of zero per 100,000 inhabitants, the latest update from the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC) shows.
The other countries with a death rate of zero are Austria, Norway, Finland, Luxembourg, Iceland, Cyprus, and Liechtenstein.
There have been no deaths from Covid-19 in Ireland since mid-August, largely thanks to the near elimination of the disease during the summer.
However, with transmission rates increasing again, the incidence of the disease has risen again, to 34.7 cases per 100,000 population, according to the ECDC. Ireland has the 11th highest incidence in Europe.
Separate figures from the Center for Health Protection Surveillance show that there are currently more people infected with Covid-19 in the health system than from traveling abroad.
Some 120 people, 51 patients and 69 employees acquired the virus in a healthcare setting over the past fortnight, the latest report from the Center for Health Protection Surveillance shows.
This compares with 118 travel-related cases reported to HPSC during the period, a figure that includes people who acquired the disease abroad and those who acquired it from them.
A total of 1,717 cases were identified during the 14-day period, of which the largest category was 872 people who were close contacts of confirmed cases. Some 387 cases involve community transmission, meaning the source of the infection is unknown, while 220 cases remain under investigation.
In Dublin, the incidence of the disease in 14 days has increased to 60.2 per 100,000 inhabitants (811 cases). Kildare and Limerick have higher incidences (66.5 and 61.6), but the incidence in Dublin West is even higher, 74.
Only five countries in Europe have an incidence greater than this.
While new cases were recorded in all Irish counties, Sligo had fewer than five, giving a low nationwide incidence of 3.1. The national incidence is 36.06.
During the fortnight, 59 patients were hospitalized and three required admission to the ICU. There were 191 cases among health workers.
The latest epidemiological report from the HPSC shows that 73 cases occurred among people 65 to 74 years old, 54 among people 75 to 84 years old, and 29 among people 85 and older.
No deaths were recorded during the period.
In Northern Ireland, one more coronavirus-related death was reported over the weekend, according to figures released Monday by the Northern health department. The total number of deaths registered by the department now stands at 565. 141 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed Monday, bringing the total number of cases identified since the start of the pandemic to 7,868. It is the third day in a row that more than 100 people have tested positive for the virus. In the last seven days, 639 new cases of Covid-19 have been identified in the North.
Elsewhere, NPHET will examine this week’s relaxation of quarantine rules for those diagnosed with Covid-19. Currently, people diagnosed with the disease must self-isolate until they have had no fever for five days and 14 days have passed since the first symptoms appeared.
However, NPHET will discuss this week changing the rule from 14 days to 10 days, based on international evidence compiled for it in a document from the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa).
The Health Department will also consider this week NPHET’s recommendations for a plan to manage the pandemic in the medium term, which will be launched this month.
Sources said NPHET’s recommendations included moving to a five-stage alert system, with three different “orange” alert levels outlining local closures. Depending on the severity of an outbreak, these can range from measures to reduce congregations to significant restrictions on movement and economic activity. Ultimately, a numbered system may be preferred over a color-coded approach, the sources said.
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