Four more deaths, 429 new cases

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The Department of Health has been notified of four more deaths of people with Covid-19 and 429 new cases of the disease.

There have been a total of 2,010 coronavirus-related deaths in Ireland. The total number of cases is 69,473 this includes the denotation of 14 previously confirmed cases.

The number of people in ICU is 33, unchanged from yesterday. There are 290 coronavirus patients in Irish hospitals with 15 admitted in the last 24 hours.

The number of hospital admissions is 20 per day on average, said Philip Nolan, chairman of the Epidemiological Modeling Advisory Group of the National Public Health Emergency Team.

The positivity rate is no longer decreasing, he warned. It was above 7% at the end of October and dropped to 3.5% last week, but is now closer to 4%.

Professor Nolan added: “For three weeks we saw the number of cases decrease at a rate of 5% to 7% per day and a reproduction number as low as 0.6. We are aware that the number of cases has stopped decreasing and as a consequence the number of reproduction has increased to an estimated 0.7 to 0.9.

“The data strongly suggests that a recent small increase in the level of social contacts has led to the increase in the number of reproduction that we see now.

“A little extra effort to reduce our contacts will make a big difference in reducing the incidence of disease before December 1.”

Professor Nolan added that the incidence rate of the virus in those 65 and older is not declining, although it is declining among younger age groups.

He said this was a “major cause for concern.”

There is a “disappointment” because the transmission of the virus is not decreasing as rapidly as before. “People have done an extraordinary job of reducing their social contacts, but we have let it go for the last week.”

Professor Nolan said that we have gone from an average of 2.6 contacts per positive case to 3.2 contacts. This means that people have increased their social contacts.

“The marginal decisions you make about whether to meet people or not make a difference.”

He said at an NPHET press conference tonight that the recent rapid decline in the number of cases has stalled and social contacts could be the reason.

Professor Nolan said that it is still possible to reduce transmission over the next two weeks and reduce the numbers.

Medical director Dr. Tony Holohan said that some people who could work from home weren’t working from home and that people were meeting unnecessarily.

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“In our goal of using a six-week period to reduce Covid-19 infection in the community, our progress has stalled in the last week,” he said.

“We now have two weeks to get back on track. Reduce illness by limiting the number of daily contacts you have. Work from home, stay home, and follow public health advice to reach a breeding number below 0.5 for on December 1st. “

Of the cases reported today, 173 are Dublin, 44 in Cork, 26 in Donegal, 22 in Louth, 21 in Kildare and the remaining 143 cases are spread over the remaining 20 counties.

The cases included 194 men, 234 women, and 69% are under 45 years of age.

Deputy Medical Director Dr. Ronan Glynn said the positivity rate for close household contacts for Covid-19 cases was about one in four compared to about one in ten for other close contacts.

“This is not too surprising. We let our guard down in our own home.”

Dr. Glynn also revealed: “Deaths associated with Covid-19 have increased by 18% in the European region over the last fortnight. Just last week, Europe recorded more than 29,000 new deaths. That is, one person dies every 17 seconds.

“We have made significant progress in Ireland in recent weeks, but the disease and its risks have not changed. Please continue your efforts to follow public health advice, limit Covid-19 transmission in Ireland, and protect the most vulnerable. in our families and in our communities. “

It comes as the National Public Health Emergency Team met again today amid growing concern that progress in the fight against Covid-19 at the national level appears to have slowed significantly over the past week.

The latest figures show that new confirmed cases of the virus are registering at just over 400 a week, virtually unchanged from a week ago.

Medical Director Dr. Tony Holohan said he is increasingly concerned that the progress made during the first three weeks of the Level 5 restrictions has not been sustained.

In Northern Ireland, another 12 deaths from coronavirus were recorded, ten during the last 24 hours, bringing the official number from the Department of Health to 901.

There are 487 new test cases on 3,134 people, bringing the cumulative total to 48,716.

There are 456 confirmed Covid-19 patients in the hospital, with 41 in intensive care units, 32 of whom are on respirators.

Health officials in Northern Ireland have raised concerns about an increase in the R number, the reproductive value of the virus, from 0.7 to around 1.0 in recent weeks.



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