[ad_1]
Ireland has one of Western Europe’s highest rates of Covid-19 infections among older people, according to data from the European Center for Disease Control.
The case rate for people aged 65 to 79 in Ireland was nine times that of Germany, while for people over 80 it was 17 times higher, ECDC figures from early September show. Germany was one of the countries that coped with the first surge in the pandemic comparatively well by limiting infections and deaths among older people.
Among people aged 80 and over, Ireland ranked sixth in Europe for the incidence of Covid in 14 days per 100,000 people, behind Malta, Spain, Bosnia, Romania and North Macedonia.
Among people aged 65 to 79, Ireland ranked eighth behind the same countries, the Czech Republic and Croatia.
The figures correspond to the week of September 5 to 12; since then, cases have continued to increase in Ireland and most European countries.
The high case rates among older people in Ireland may be related to the fact that serial testing is being done in nursing homes.
The data shows that Ireland ranked seventh in Europe for tests, with 1,525 tests carried out per 100,000 inhabitants. We were in the middle of the table for the overall incidence of the virus and below average for our mortality rate.
The latest ECDC data from Tuesday shows that the 14-day incidence in Ireland was 68.2 cases per 100,000, compared with 72.8 in the UK, 26.3 in Germany and 26.1 in Sweden. Spain continues to have the highest rate of infections, with an incidence of 310.9.
Meanwhile, the number of people receiving treatment in hospitals here for Covid-19 rose Tuesday morning to 94, from 90 the day before. The ICU numbers were stable at 16.
In northwest Dublin, the hardest hit part of the capital, the 14-day incidence of the disease now stands at 204.7, according to the latest epidemiological report from the Center for Health Protection Surveillance.
The least affected area is South Dublin, with an incidence of 60.5.
[ad_2]