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The 14-day incidence rate of coronavirus infections in Dublin has fallen for the first time in two weeks, according to the latest figures released by the Center for Health Protection Surveillance.
The rate of Covid-19 infections during the period dropped marginally in Dublin, from 138 cases per 100,000 at midnight on Sunday to 136.9 at midnight on Monday, three days after the new Tier restrictions were introduced. 3 in the county, while the rest of the country remained at Level 2.
This is the first time that the infection rate in Dublin has decreased since September 8.
Within Dublin, the disease incidence rate fell below 200 cases per 100,000 in northwest Dublin, dropping to 196.9 cases from 204.7 in the 24-hour period.
Also, the rate in south-east Dublin fell to 143.9 cases per 100,000 from 150.4. However, the rate in Dublin West continued to rise, rising to 148.1 cases per 100,000 from 140.3.
While the incidence rate in Dublin dropped slightly in the latest figures, the national average continues to rise, reflecting an increase in infections outside the capital.
The national rate of infections during the last 14 days stood at 70.7 cases per 100,000, compared to 70.4 24 hours earlier.
Infectious disease expert Professor Sam McConkey highlighted the importance of people following public health advice and said if cases continued to rise, Dublin might need to move to Level 4 or even Level 5
Professor McConkey, Head of the Department of International Health and Tropical Medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland (RCSI), said it was time to act.
“The sooner we do it, the shorter the duration and the less restrictive those measures will have to be,” he told Newstalk.
The Covid-19 case rate had risen in four to five counties to nearly the same level as Dublin and action is now required, he added.
“Unfortunately, if the number of cases continues to rise, whether in Dublin or in those counties, the only sensible thing to do is go up to Level 4 or even Level 5.”
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