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Acting Chief Physician Dr Ronan Glynn has highlighted the importance of Dublin residents abiding by the recently introduced Covid-19 restrictions and explained why the measures are necessary.
In a live press conference tonight, Dr. Glynn described that there have been more than 1,600 Covid-19 cases in Dublin in the last two weeks. The cases have spread to all areas of the city and county. This represents more than half of the cases reported in the country during this period.
The government’s highest-ranking health adviser explained that this escalation “inevitably” caused the number of hospitalizations to increase dramatically and the number of deaths to rise.
The growth rate in the cases is between 5-7% per day. If no action is taken, the number of daily cases could rise to 1,000 by mid-October. However, Dr. Glynn noted that the drastic result can be avoided if people reduce their number of contacts.
“If we all cut our social contacts in half, we can cut the reproduction rate of this virus in half,” he said.
Dr. Glynn explained that the overall goal of Level Three restrictions is to reduce people’s discretionary social contacts because the most important contacts, such as those needed for health care and education, should be prioritized:
Our priorities for the next three weeks must be to stop the spread of this virus, so that our health service can continue and people can receive the vital care they need for other diseases; so that the successful resumption of the education of our children can continue and so that the most vulnerable in our society are protected.
He said that with the anticipated increase in hospitalizations, NPHET had to take steps to reduce the congregation.
“We have to make decisions when we decide to reduce the congregation. So it can be education, it can be medical care, it can be restaurants and other social settings, and in that context, Level 3, unfortunately, is about making really difficult decisions to reduce the social congregation. “
Dr. Glynn acknowledged that the number of identified clusters of disease originating from restaurants is low. However, he added that the number of community transmission cases, where the origin of the infection is unknown, has risen to between 750 and 1,000 in the last two weeks.
“These are cases where we do not know where they got the virus from, the person himself cannot identify where they got the virus from. So based on what we know about the virus, we know that people get it when they meet other people, ”he said.
It is essentially where people congregate. All efforts at Level Three are to reduce this congregation.
Dr. Glynn urged people to “prioritize” who they need to see, and advised residents of the capital to see half as many people in the next week as they did last week.
The acting medical director specifically called on adolescents and people in their 20s and 30s to adhere to the guidelines:
I know that what has been asked of you and what they ask you again is extraordinary. This pandemic has affected their education, employment, relationships, and social life.
But the disease is also spreading disproportionately among the very young today. So I ask that you stick to this and follow the advice one more time over the next few weeks.
Anyone experiencing symptoms of the virus was asked to self-isolate, contact their GP, and get a free Covid-19 test if appropriate. Anyone who is informed that they were a close contact of a confirmed case of Covid-19 is urged to take the free test.
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The new restrictions will go into effect in Dublin from midnight.
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