Two deaths and 362 new confirmed cases in Ireland

MORE 362 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Ireland, the National Public Health Emergencies Team (NPHET) said tonight.

In a statement, he said that two other people who were confirmed to have Covid-19 had died. However, one occurred in October and another is still under investigation.

The death toll from the coronavirus in Ireland is now 1,965, and the total number of confirmed cases is now 66,247.

As of 2:00 p.m. today, 280 patients with Covid-19 are hospitalized. There are 38 people receiving intensive care treatment, while there have been 21 additional hospitalizations in the last 24 hours.

The 14-day national incidence rate is now 145.0 per 100,000 population.

Donegal continues to be the region most affected by the population, with 48 other cases today. The 14-day incidence rate in Donegal is 300.9 per 100,000, according to NPHET.

In Dublin, 90 new cases were reported, along with 34 in Limerick, 29 in Louth and 24 in Cork. All other counties have fewer than 20 cases today.

Medical Director Dr. Tony Holohan said: “The disease profile is improving and while this is a positive trend, it does not mean it is time to step back from our adherence to public health guidelines. I urge everyone to redouble your efforts, try to have fewer close contacts this week than last week, continue with social distancing, and follow the other vitally important public health guidelines.

“I also want to thank those who have isolated themselves after receiving a positive Covid-19 test result; or have been identified as a close contact of a confirmed case. Self-isolation is a vital measure in our efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19 and it is essential that all those who are asked to self-isolate continue to do so.

In recent weeks, the incidence of Covid-19 in Ireland has decreased as the country remains under Level 5 restrictions.

Earlier today, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that the country will return to Level 3 in December, but that the government can also analyze certain sectors to see if it could “moderate” Level 3.

On the subject of moving from Level 5, Martin said: “We are doing a lot of analysis of the data, sector by sector, to facilitate and inform the approach to get out of Level 5.

“We want to give indications so that there is some degree of preparation by those who want and need to be prepared if we are in a good position at the end of this month.”