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A total of 611 new cases of Covid-19 have been diagnosed in the state and five more deaths associated with the disease have been reported to the Health Department.
There have been a total of 39,584 cases of Covid-19 diagnosed in the Republic and 1,816 associated deaths.
Of the new cases, 59 percent are people under the age of 45 and 50 percent are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case. A total of 83 cases have been identified as community transmission.
Some 218 are in Dublin, 63 in Cork, 60 in Donegal, 35 in Galway, 31 in Kildare and the remaining 204 are in 21 counties.
Dr. Tony Holohan, medical director, said that “all key indicators of the disease have further deteriorated” in the three days since the last meeting of the National Public Health Emergencies Team (Nphet) on Sunday.
“We are deeply concerned about the change in the trajectory of this infection,” said Dr. Holohan.
He criticized the leak on Sunday of Nphet’s recommendation that the entire state should move from level 2 to level 5 of the most severe lockdown of restrictions to combat the spread of Covid-19.
“We transmitted our findings, analysis and recommendations to the Minister of Health and the Government.
“They needed an early and serious confidential discussion. That did not happen because the information was leaked to the media on Sunday night. “
He defended the decision to restrict the pub’s opening hours due to the risks of people mingling after a few drinks. “This virus loves alcohol.”
He said whoever leaked the information did not share the goal of dealing with the disease as Nphet and the government did.
Dr. Holohan was giving his first media briefing since returning from an extended period of leave taken for personal reasons, and since Nphet recommended on Sunday that the state should move to Level 5 restrictions.
That recommendation was not followed by the government, which instead instituted Level 3 restrictions across the state.
He thanked Dr. Ronan Glynn, his family, and his colleagues who he said had worked hard during his absence.
Professor Philip Nolan, chairman of the Irish Epidemiological Models Group, said “there is no county where incidence is not a cause for concern.”
He said Nphet is “seeing a very high incidence” among younger people, but also warned that there is significant growth among older people. At the beginning of September, the incidence in older people was 10 to 15 cases per 100,000 people older than 65, but now it is about 30 cases.
With infections in nursing homes also on the rise, he cautioned that older people are significantly vulnerable if the disease spreads widely. “We simply cannot protect people in that age group, nor can they protect themselves, if the level of disease in the wider community continues to rise.”
He said the breeding number, which needs to be less than 1 to suppress the disease, is probably around 1.2. However, he said he is flattered by Dublin’s performance. “Frankly, the situation is worse than that.”
He said the number in the capital is likely to be around 1 and in the rest of the country around 1.5. “The disease is spreading very quickly, especially outside of Dublin.”
Even in the capital, he sounded a note of caution on the idea that the virus was stabilizing, saying: “We have been filled with temporary reductions in the number of cases in Dublin in the past.”
He said that if the R number stays at a level of 1.2 to 1.4, Nphet expects to see 1,100 to 1,500 cases per day by the end of the first week of November, and 350 to 450 people in the hospital by that date.
When asked about his opinion of Tánaiste Leo Varadkar’s criticism of Nphet for his recommendation to impose Level 5 restrictions, Dr. Holohan said that he had spoken with Varadkar on Tuesday night and that he had a “good lasting relationship” with the. “He understands and shares my analysis, in its entirety, and cares as much as I do.”
He said he is “absolutely satisfied” that the air has cleared between them. “The government has to make decisions on a variety of other factors that are outside of our area of expertise, but we still have serious work to do to conduct ongoing assessment of the disease,” he said.
“He and I had a very good discussion last night that went on for a considerable period of time. We discussed issues from the last few days, but we discussed and spent much more time discussing the disease and what we must do collectively to improve our collective capacity as a country to respond to it, “he said.
When asked if he had ever considered his position in the last few days, he said: “I have been here for a long time, my skin is tough and I have been involved in many problems over the years. We wouldn’t be doing our job collectively if there weren’t cuts and push and debate and all that. None of this is personal and nothing undermines my willingness to continue the important work that I have. “
Dr. Holohan and other members of Nphet emphasized the seriousness of the situation facing the country.
“What I have to convey is the seriousness of the situation in which we find ourselves. I am really worried and concerned about the stage of the disease. Now we are beginning to see an exponential growth, not only in the number of cases but in many of the indicators that result from the impact of the disease, ”he said, adding that the projections were not inevitable if behaviors were changed, but they would come to be if they didn’t.
“It is clear that as a country, we have not done so well in maintaining those standards of behavior, which is part of the reason why we find ourselves in the challenge that we have,” he said.
“The real concern over the summer has been the amount of socialization, and all the different ways that it happens and how much it has driven the opportunities for the virus to spread, and the virus has seized those opportunities.”
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has confirmed that the Covid-19 Senior Officials Oversight Committee is looking into the possibility of fines as part of a stricter enforcement of Level 3 restrictions for motorists violating county boundaries. Stock Photography: Dara Mac Dónaill
Meanwhile, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has confirmed that the Covid-19 Senior Officials Oversight Committee is looking at the possibility of fines as part of a stricter enforcement of Level 3 restrictions for motorists violating county lines.
Speaking at the Dáil, Mr Martin said the Government is “particularly concerned about Northern Ireland” and the consequences of trafficking from the North.
He said it was a “significantly challenging situation for the North in terms of very high numbers” of coronavirus cases.
“Clearly [THERE IS]the spill to the Republic ”and there could be consequences from that“ so we have to deal with that, ”he told Dáil.
The oversight committee was “looking at the whole scope of fines, for example in terms of traffic, etc.”.
He also said that 17,000 new pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) claims had already been submitted since the midnight introduction of the Level 3 restrictions.
This compares with a “normal level” of 1,000 to 2,000 claims per day. Martin added that between 40,000 and 50,000 new claims “could emerge this week as a result of moving to level 3. That’s how serious level 3 is.”
Earlier, it emerged that the government is considering introducing gradual fines for those traveling between counties for nonessential reasons following a meeting of senior officials this morning.
Officials warned of a “large increase” in those applying for the PUP, with warnings that the numbers could rise by 60,000 by Friday with the entire country now at Level 3 of the government’s plan to deal with the pandemic.
The Covid-19 oversight group, which is made up of the highest ranking public officials in each government department, met Wednesday morning to consider further enforcement of the restrictions on business, education and society in general.
A high-level source confirmed that it examined the graduated fines for those traveling between counties for nonessential reasons.
The sources said the level of the fines had not yet been established, but that it would be enough to be a “deterrent” for those contemplating circumventing national travel restrictions.
The group also discussed new plans to emphasize compliance in shopping malls, sports and gyms.
Tertiary education will also be further examined in terms of compliance. At the meeting it was agreed that there would be more focused messages about social distancing and non-congregational settings.
Officials also discussed a “big increase” in those applying for the PUP. High-level sources suggested estimates of increases of up to 60,000 for Friday alone. An economic outlook was provided warning of the “profound impact” that the new restrictions were having on the hospitality sector.
The group also discussed concerns about nursing homes and rising infection rates.
The oversight committee is chaired by the highest ranking official in the State, the Secretary General of the Government, Martin Fraser. Its function is “to advise the Government on the strategic responses of economic and social policy for the treatment of the disease and to take into account the advice of Nphet”.
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