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Five people contracted Covid-19 at a funeral attended by two positive cases, and a third of the staff had to isolate themselves at the restaurant where the post-burial meal was held.
The case was one of several presented by HSE public health officials at a briefing Thursday.
In one case, a single case resulted in another 60, according to public health doctor Una Fallon, who lives in the Midlands.
In the funeral group, a son and then his father, who worked with him, tested positive. When a family member died, they attended the funeral against the guidelines, and five other attendees tested positive. The funeral party then attended a nearby restaurant to eat, after which a third of the staff there were considered close contacts and had to isolate themselves.
Parents questioned
In another group at a school, a student tested positive after cases ran in his family. Contract tracking officials determined the case originated from a trip involving young adults and a “party atmosphere,” Dr. Fallon said. Then a second case occurred in the class, involving a student sitting at the other end of the room.
Officials questioned the parents involved to see if there was any connection, but were unable to establish one. This made them uncomfortable, according to Dr. Fallon, so they spoke with the school principal, who contacted the teachers. Later, a teacher revealed that the two students had exchanged desks for a classroom so that one could be near the blackboard.
Now that the connection was established, and since no one else was affected, officials determined that it was not necessary to send any of the other classes home, he said.
In a third example, a case was filed in a factory with no obvious cause. It later emerged that the person involved had changed jobs at a meat plant, so public health officials were pleased to have identified the source of the infection.
‘Continuing uncertainty’
Dr. Fallon said contact trackers varied their approach based on the facts of the individual investigations; in some cases, they focus on the “where and how,” while in others they focus on preventing spread.
When asked about the origin of the infections, he replied: “It’s about proximity, congregation and alcohol.”
HSE Chief Executive Officer Paul Reid said he understood the public’s growing frustration at the “continued uncertainty” surrounding Covid-19. But he appealed to people not to blame particular sectors of the economy or society.
At various points the guilty finger has been pointed at transport, meat plants, direct provision, schools and young people. “From our perspective, it adds to the stigmatization of some sectors of the economy and society.”
With 121 Covid-19 patients in the hospital and 22 in the ICU, Mr. Reid said that the system was not overwhelmed but that the situation was becoming difficult and challenging.
Of the 123 cases hospitalized in the past fortnight, 51 were over 65 and 15 were under 35, he said.
More than 87,000 people were tested last week, with a positivity rate of 2.9 percent.
HSE Clinical Director Dr. Colm Henry described the increase in positivity as worrisome, but said a higher proportion of infections were being captured than before in the pandemic.
Testing has been conducted in 183 schools with 1,300 students and staff tested as contacts.
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