Public Health Expert Warns of Tighter Restrictions in Cork City as Covid-19 Cases Rise

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A public health expert warned that Cork and Galway may be the next counties to face more lockdown restrictions as cases in Ireland continue to rise.

Anthony Staines, a professor of health systems at Dublin City University, said the number of cases is increasing “uncomfortably high” and that he would not be surprised if Cork and Galway were further restricted.

Professor Staines singled out students returning to UCC for the start of the semester next week as a possible factor in the increase in reported cases in Cork City.

“It’s going uncomfortably high and I wouldn’t be too surprised if Cork was next and Galway was next,” said Professor Staines, “It will depend on contact tracing, but I wonder how many of these cases are associated with students returning to UCC.. ”

“Many students will have come to Cork to prepare for the first semester that starts on Monday,” said Professor Staines.

Earlier, the public health expert said that the five deaths reported from the coronavirus today show the urgency needed to “reduce the number of cases in the community.”

Professor Staines said the latest deaths are a sad reminder of the critical need to stop the spread of the disease.

“It takes a significant time to go from developing an infection to getting sick enough to die from it. So we typically see an increase in cases, an increase in admissions, an increase in intensive care admissions and an increase in deaths in that order.

“It is not surprising that this has happened, but it is still very sad that this has happened. It shows the urgency of reducing the number of cases in the community,” said Professor Staines.

Today’s figures bring the total number of Covid-related deaths in Ireland to 1,802.

The Health Department also confirmed 248 new cases of the disease today.

As of today’s data, Dublin reported the highest number with 104 new confirmed cases, followed by Donegal with 37 and Cork with 36.

In the rest of the country, eight cases were in Kildare and another eight cases were confirmed in Westmeath, six cases in Kilkenny, six in Laois, six in Offaly, five in Longford, five in Monaghan, five in Wexford and the remaining 22 cases were reported in 11 other counties.

Speaking in a video message today, Acting Medical Director Dr. Ronan Glynn urged the public to observe public health and social distancing guidelines.

Dr. Glynn said it was not inevitable that more restrictions would be introduced in other counties as the number of cases increases and that collective and individual action can prevent the spread of the virus.

However, Dr. Glynn said other counties could still be subject to additional restrictions.

“I ask each individual to take personal responsibility by prioritizing the need to limit the size of their social network and reduce their social contacts in the coming days and weeks,” he said.

“Because although there are many possibilities that other areas of the country have to go to level three. There is nothing inevitable about that, ”Dr. Glynn said.

The acting medical director also praised Limerick and Tipperary counties for their response to elevated levels of Covid-19.

“We have seen before in Limerick and Tipperary and possibly in the last few days in Waterford, how people working together can take control and turn the tide of this virus.

“But even in these counties people have to move on, keep making the right decisions, and deny Covid the opportunity to broadcast,” Dr. Glynn said.



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