Five more deaths and 1,095 new cases

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There have been 1,095 new cases and five more deaths related to the coronavirus in the Republic, the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) said on Wednesday.

The death toll now stands at 1,835 out of a total of 45,243 cases.

Of the new cases, 70 percent are people under 45, with 246 cases located in Dublin, 185 in Meath, 128 in Cavan, 118 in Cork, 63 in Kildare and the remaining 342 cases spread across all other counties in the Republic. .

The current figure of 1,095 cases is the highest individual number reported in one day.

In response to the high number of new cases, Medical Director Dr. Tony Holohan said the situation was “extremely worrying.”

“Each of us needs to reduce contact with other people as much as possible, so that means staying home, working from home whenever possible, practicing physical distancing, and stopping discretionary socializing,” he said.

Dr. Ronan Glynn, deputy chief medical officer, said the public must act now and stop socializing.

“People must recognize that the disease is a direct threat to themselves and their families,” he said.

Meanwhile, there have been 1,217 new cases of Covid-19 in the north in the last 24 hours, the region’s Department of Health announced.

It is the largest daily increase in cases in Northern Ireland since an expanded testing regime was introduced.

Four other deaths were also reported Wednesday, bringing the department’s reported figure to 602.

Earlier, the Northern Assembly announced that it will introduce tough new restrictions to combat the spread of the coronavirus, which will see pubs and restaurants close for four weeks and schools close for two weeks during the midterm break.

The 1,217 daily case count is not directly comparable to the first wave of the pandemic, as far fewer tests were conducted in that period.

However, it is the highest total on record since the testing regimen was expanded in Northern Ireland to include community settings.

A total of 6,693 new positive cases of the virus have been detected in the last seven days, bringing the total number of cases in the region to 23,115.

There are currently 164 patients in northern hospitals with Covid-19, including 24 in intensive care.

The Derry and Strabane Council area, which has experienced the highest infection rate in the UK and Ireland, now has a seven-day average of 992 cases per 100,000 people.

In the Republic, the Cabinet will hold an emergency meeting today to discuss the new and strict blockade measures introduced in the North.

There is great speculation that border counties like Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan, which in turn have high incidence rates of the virus, could move to Level Four restrictions.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly this afternoon refused to rule out the measures, after they were previously raised by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar.

At a post-budget press conference, Donnelly said there is an “ongoing conversation” with the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) about the possibility of further restrictions.

But with the news of the emergency Cabinet meeting during the press conference, Donnelly refused to be told what course of action he would take.

“I don’t think it helps to think out loud,” he said.

“The problems are too delicate, the implications for the people of those counties are too great.”

Donnelly said any decision to level up counties would have to be treated “very sensitively.”

Nphet will meet on Thursday to decide whether it would be appropriate to move to higher levels of restriction.

However, the decision to call an emergency Cabinet meeting could be ahead of that council. – Additional reports: PA



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