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Public health officials have raised concerns about the “stubbornly” high Covid-19 numbers in Dublin, despite six weeks of restrictions in the capital.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) has not seen as large a reduction in cases in the capital as it would like, according to medical director Dr. Tony Holohan.
Previous restrictions implemented in Dublin in late September, when the capital moved to Level 3, had not had the desired effect in curbing the infection, he said.
While cases in the rest of the country had fallen dramatically, from a generally higher level, the number of cases in Dublin was “stubbornly” hovering above 200 a day and above 300 on Monday, Dr. Holohan said. .
The effects of the Level 5 restrictions imposed two weeks ago can be seen over the course of the next week, he added.
Nphet reported two other Covid-19 related deaths. This brings the total number of virus-related deaths during the pandemic to 1,917.
It also reported another 767 cases of the disease, bringing the total number of cases to 62,750.
Of the new cases, 321 were in Dublin, 84 in Cork and 47 in Meath. There were also 34 in Limerick, 24 in Roscommon, with the remaining 257 cases spread across all other counties.
As of 2 p.m. Monday, 322 Covid-19 patients were in the hospital, including 44 in the ICU.
The national incidence of the disease in 14 days is now 248 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Cavan has the highest incidence, with 563.2, followed by Meath with 482.5. Leitrim is the only county with an incidence less than 100, at 96.7.
There were 103 deaths from Covid-19 in October, 39 of them in nursing homes, according to Nphet officials. This compares with 36 deaths in September and five in August.
Dr. Holohan said that there has been a continuous decrease in the incidence of infection as measured by all major parameters. The situation in Ireland now compares favorably with much of the rest of Europe, he noted.
However, there was still “a long way to go” to suppress the virus and it was important to maintain compliance with the measures that the Government had introduced.
It was “too early to say” whether officials were satisfied with “where we are and where we need to go” in relation to the current restrictions.
There was concern about the increasing incidence among older people, he said. While the incidence among people 19 to 24 years old had dropped from 450 cases per 100,000 people to fewer than 300 in the space of a week, the incidence was increasing among those most likely to have an adverse outcome from the virus.
School test
Officials said testing and contact tracing in schools were being strengthened to ensure already “strong” protections for staff and students were increased.
A dedicated phone line is provided where directors can raise concerns and receive a response the same day. Public officials from the health and education sectors are being reassigned to assist with public health assessments of schools when necessary. Cases involving schools will be “red flagged” within the evaluation and tracking system and the service will operate seven days a week.
As of October 28, 599 schools had undergone testing after a case was identified and more than 15,000 students and staff had been screened.
A total of 384 cases had been identified with a positivity rate of 2.5%.
In October, 15.6 percent of all cases involved school-age children, slightly up from 14.5 percent the previous month.
Under HSE’s new multidisciplinary “school teams,” there will be priority testing and a special seven-day hotline to allow principals to seek guidance on what to do when a case of the virus is identified.
The new supports, introduced by the Department of Education beginning Monday when schools return from midterm recess, have been widely welcomed by teachers’ unions.
Dr. Heather Burns, Deputy Medical Director, Department of Health, pictured with Dr. Tony Holohan, CMO, at the Department of Health Monday night. Photograph: Colin Keegan / Collins Dublin
The Irish National Organization for Teachers (INTO) said that including education officials on teams would help them better understand specific settings.
“The department must ensure that this new service provides a significant improvement in supporting schools, ensuring that no principal is left waiting for days for a risk assessment or public health guidance,” said INTO Secretary General John Boyle.
The organization has also recognized an updated definition of “close and casual contacts” in school settings published by the Health Protection Surveillance Center (HPSC) on Friday, which it had sought.
These include anyone who has had face-to-face contact within a meter with a confirmed case of Covid-19 for more than 15 minutes on a school day.
It also includes anyone who has been between one and two meters from a confirmed case for more than 15 minutes, but taking into account mitigating factors such as face covering, capsules and ventilation.
In a separate statement, the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) acknowledged the new measures, but called for a “strong and continuing engagement” between unions, the department and public health authorities to “ensure that the concerns of the teachers”.
He has also reiterated his call for an audit of schools to make sure they have the necessary resources to ensure full compliance with the public health councils.
Meeting Nphet
Nphet meets again Thursday to review progress in reducing transmission of the virus. Dr. Holohan said his advice on further measures should be clear by the last week of November.
Dr Holohan told an Nphet briefing that, with less than two weeks having passed since the government introduced the Tier 5 measures, it was “too early to say we are satisfied,” adding that “we have to continue to get the number of cases where we want them ”.
While he did not rule out easing the Tier 5 restrictions earlier than planned, he added: “I can’t imagine, at this stage, I’m in a position to recommend that.”
When asked about the provision of test facilities for international travelers, he said that Nphet would be looking at what measures could be implemented in the coming weeks.
If progress is made in reducing the scale of infection in Ireland, the importance of international travel increases relatively, he noted.
Ireland did not move “too early” to Level 5 restrictions, he said; many people anticipated change by altering their individual behavior to increase their level of protection.
Dr. Holohan said that public health officials were increasingly optimistic about developments in the supply of Covid-19 vaccines “in the coming months and early 2021”, but the supply would be a “great logistical challenge.”
Northern figures
In Northern Ireland, eight more coronavirus-related deaths were reported on Monday.
The Northern Department of Health (DoH) said seven of the deaths occurred in the 24 hours through Monday morning, and one had occurred previously.
A further 493 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Northern Ireland on Monday.
The total number of people who have died in the north with Covid-19 is now 724, the department said.
An additional 493 new coronavirus cases were confirmed, bringing the total number of positive Covid-19 cases identified in Northern Ireland since the start of the pandemic to 39,609.
There are now 379 people with coronavirus in hospitals in the North, with 52 in intensive care.
The pupils returned to school in Northern Ireland on Monday after a two-week half-semester break.
The spread of Covid-19 has slowed following the introduction of stricter restrictions, including the effective shutdown of the hotel industry, just over two weeks ago, with the average number of cases in the past seven days now at 263 per 100,000 people, compared to around 350 when the new measures were implemented.
Northern Prime Minister Arlene Foster told the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster on Monday that the “current restrictions”, which are in effect until November 13, “would come to an end” and ministers “are now building a strategy on how then we can continue living with the virus ”.
However, answering questions in the Northern Assembly on Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Michelle O’Neill said the Executive intended to “publish the work around an exit strategy in the coming days,” but not ruled out an extension of the current restrictions.
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