[ad_1]
The Health Department has been notified of another 442 cases of Covid-19 with four new deaths.
Here there have been a total of 1806 coronavirus-related deaths in Ireland and 36,597 confirmed cases.
Of the new confirmed cases, 170 are in Dublin, 47 in Cork, 28 in Donegal, 23 in Meath, 21 in Galway, 20 in Monaghan, 14 in Clare, 12 in Roscommon, 11 in Laois, 11 in Longford, 10 in Cavan , 10 in Limerick, 10 in Tipperary, 9 in Kildare, 8 in Wicklow, 5 in Louth and 5 in Wexford with the remaining 28 cases in 9 counties.
Of the 442 people who have recently been diagnosed with coronavirus, 225 are men and 217 are women, 67 percent are under 45 years old.
The Center for Health Protection Surveillance has confirmed that 54 percent have been confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case.
The HSE is working to identify any contacts that patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread.
The Covid-19 virus appears to have spread in a school between two children who used to exchange desks because one needed to be closer to the blackboard, as reported today in an HSE report.
Public health specialist Dr Una Fallon from the Midlands described how her teams work to trace the virus’ route of transmission and prevent others from becoming infected.
In another case, two members of a family who were infected attended a family member’s funeral, causing five more people to become infected with the virus.
This was followed by a meal at a restaurant where a third of the staff were away due to close contacts.
In the case of the school children, the first student became infected within their family, but the second child to test positive in the same class was a mystery because there was no evidence of a connection between the two.
However, a teacher gave the hint when they said that the children exchanged desks during a class so that one of the children would be closer to the board.
The virus may have been transmitted through an infected desktop surface.
A key goal of public health teams is to prevent any further transmission, he said.
Earlier, HSE chief Paul Reid said the hospital system is under pressure but not overwhelmed despite the risk of hospitalizations among people with the virus.
There are 121 coronavirus patients in hospitals across the country and 22 people are in intensive care. Dublin hospitals are the most affected and have 65% of patients.
It revealed how contact trackers who call people saying they are a close contact of someone who has tested positive are becoming increasingly frustrated.
They may resent having to isolate themselves and go for a test.
There is a “relentless demand” to find a new magic strategy to deal with the virus, he added.
It occurs when visits to family homes will be limited to six people from another household, according to new recommendations from public health officials.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) has said that the new restrictions on home visits should apply across the country.
The Covid-19 restriction aims to clamp down on house parties that are leading to new cases of the virus.
The rule that is currently in place in Dublin and Donegal is likely to be rolled out across the country.
The rules mean that now only two households can be mixed into a family home at the same time and the number of visitors will be limited to six people.
Meanwhile, a Covid-19 outbreak at a school directly affected about 20 staff members and students.
He closed the school temporarily, the only one of 4,000 that closed as a result of the disease since the new term began a month ago.
There were about 20 cases among staff and students related to the outbreak, according to the HSE, which is still actively involved.
Since then the school has reopened, with some restrictions on returns still in effect.
The latest HSE figure shows that Covid cases have been detected in 140 of the country’s 4,000 mainstream schools since the students returned.
Some 105 elementary schools and 35 post-primary schools have undergone or are undergoing massive testing, one of the key public health responses when Covid-19 is identified in a school.
In addition to that, Covid-19 has been identified in 39 child care centers and eight special education centers, bringing the total number of educational settings where tests have been conducted to 187.
So far, more than 4,455 students and teachers across 187 settings have been tested for the disease.
Online editors
[ad_2]