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The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases has passed the 50,000 mark as the incidence of the disease continues to rise.
Another 1,031 confirmed Covid-19 cases reported by the National Public Health Emergency Team on Monday night brought the total number of cases to 50,993, less than eight months after the first case of the virus was recorded in Ireland.
No new deaths were reported Monday, bringing the total death toll to 1,852.
Of the cases reported on Monday, 235 are in Dublin and 232 in Cork. There were also 60 cases in Galway, 47 in Limerick, 47 in Kerry, and the remaining 410 cases were spread over 21 counties.
70% of the cases are under 45 years of age and the average age of the cases is 30 years.
Women slightly outnumber men: 518 to 511.
As of 2 p.m. today, 298 Covid-19 patients were in the hospital, including 34 in the ICU. There were 20 hospitalizations in the last 24 hours.
Medical Director Dr. Tony Holohan has warned people with Covid-19 symptoms, those awaiting a test result or those with a confirmed case, to self-isolate for 10 days from the first appearance of symptoms. “Self-isolation means staying in your room, away from other members of your household,” he said.
“If you live in a house with a confirmed case, don’t go to work or school. You must stay at home and restrict your movements for 14 days. “
The national incidence now stands at 261.7 cases per 100,000 people in the last 14 days.
Cavan has the highest incidence in the county, with 824.4, followed by Meath with 490.1.
Dublin’s incidence is 232.3, lower than in 16 other counties. Tipperary has the lowest incidence, 112.8.
New test kit
A young child is among the 24 Covid-19 patients admitted to the ICU during the last fortnight, according to data from the Center for Health Protection Surveillance.
Thirteen of those transferred to intensive care during the period were over 65 years old, but a child aged 5 to 14 years and a patient aged 15 to 24 years were also admitted.
Thirteen children aged 14 years and younger were hospitalized during the period, out of a total of 301 patients.
The 34 patients with Covid-19 in the ICU yesterday represented an increase of three compared to the previous day.
The number of hospitalized patients rose to 298, up from 274 the day before.
Cavan General Hospital had the highest number of virus patients Sunday night, with 33, followed by Tallaght University Hospital, with 24.
Meanwhile, the HSE has introduced a new swab test kit for Covid-19 that it says will improve safety and may improve response times.
The new lysis buffer inactivates virus samples at the point of sampling rather than later in the run, in the laboratory.
The HSE says this means the swab is safer to use and transport, while its use also streamlines the first step of the laboratory testing process.
So far, more than 1 million swabs have been taken to detect the virus in the community and 1.3 million tests have been completed.
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