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A Cavan doctor has said the county’s GPs are “close to being overwhelmed,” as the 14-day Covid-19 incidence rate per 100,000 people exceeded 1,000.
Dr. Dara Hume, a GP at the Drumalee Family Clinic in the city of Cavan, described the county’s virus incidence rate as “terrifying.”
The figure is calculated using information from the 2016 census which found that Cavan had a population of 76,176.
There were 772 positive cases in the county in the past two weeks, leaving an incidence rate of 1,013.4.
It means that, based on the latest population information, more than one in 100 people in the county has tested positive for the virus in the past 14 days.
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Dr. Hume said that while the numbers seemed to stabilize in her practice, her colleagues had reported a significant number of clusters in cities around the county.
“People have been very good at following measurements in stores, but I think they let their guard down in familiar settings, like when they meet neighbors or in other gatherings,” said Dr. Hume.
He said it is necessary to examine why the incidence rate in Cavan is the highest in the country.
“I think the main problems are the big meetings, like after GAA games, and our proximity to the border has to be another factor,” he said.
“We have to do something and that’s why we are locked in. Hopefully we will see a reduction in the number,” said Dr. Hume.
He said the experience of GPs in the field was made even more difficult today due to problems with contact tracing.
“It’s absolutely busier. We are absolutely on full blast and then it was chaos when the backlog of contact tracing was announced,” he added.
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