The Health Minister says that the R number has dropped again to between 0.7 and 0.9

Updated 2 hours ago

HEALTH MINISTER STEPHEN DONNELLY has said the number of breeders has dropped back to between 0.7 and 0.9.

The R number is the rate at which the disease is transmitted from an infected person to other people; therefore, if the R number is 1, an infected person will transmit it to an average of another person.

Last week, the R number was 1.

Announcing that the country was moving to Level 5 on October 19, the Taoiseach said that at the end of the six-week period, the Government wants the country to go to Level 3 and bring the R number below 1.

Speaking at the Oireachtas Health Committee, the minister said there has been a 40% drop in demand for tests in the last week.

He told the committee this morning that the decision to move to Level 5 two weeks ago was made due to evidence showing the rapid increase in the number of cases and the need to reduce the virus to much lower levels.

Donnelly said there have been positive signs in recent days, indicating that Ireland’s 14-day incidence rate is 228 cases per 100,000. This compares with 278 in the previous 14-day period.

He said the rate is falling in 23 of the 26 counties. Donnelly said the average number of close contacts has dropped from 6 to 3, and the test positivity rate dropped to 4.7%.

The committee was also informed that the country’s testing capacity is now 140,000.

“By moving early and comprehensively, Ireland is currently bucking the trend seen in many other parts of Europe. The 14-day rate in France, for example, is 830. In Spain it is 567. With our neighbors, the United Kingdom, it is 469.

“While our numbers are encouraging, the number of positive cases continues to be of great concern. We have seen almost 11,000 cases reported in the last 14 days. We must continue to actively suppress this virus to the greatest extent possible, ”he said.