Six more deaths from Covid, 772 new cases and R ‘close to 1’

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There have been six more deaths related to Covid-19 and 772 new cases of the disease reported to the Department of Health in the last 24 hours.

There have been a total of 1,908 coronavirus-related deaths in Ireland. The total number of cases is 61,059. This includes the denotification of 10 previously confirmed cases.

The number of people in ICU is 42, a decrease of one from yesterday. There are 325 patients with the virus in hospitals as of 2 pm today, with an additional 15 hospitalizations in the past 24 hours.

The number of cases has increased since June, but has started to decline in the last week for the first time.

Now the R (reproductive) number is estimated to be close to 1.

Medical Director Dr. Tony Holohan said: “The overall situation has improved, but we must remember that these are very early days. This improvement will only be sustained if we continue with our efforts.”

“We have to remember that the incidence is increasing in older age groups, who are particularly vulnerable to this disease. The way we can protect them is if we continue to reduce transmission throughout the population.”

Professor Philip Nolan, Chairman of the Irish Epidemiological Modeling Advisory Group of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), said: “The breeding number is now close to 1 nationally.

“This is the first time in several weeks that we have been able to report positive indicators of the disease.

“However, our experience to date shows that this kind of progress is very fragile.

“We must take these positive signs as an indication that our efforts are starting to work, the key now is to keep it up, the virus will look for any opportunity to spread.

“Over the next few weeks, let’s make sure we don’t give him that opportunity, reducing the case numbers and Rs as low as possible.”

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Desmond Hickey said: “As of today, Ireland has seen a reduction in its seven-day incidence rate of 36% compared to the previous seven days.

He said Ireland was one of four countries in Europe where there was a decrease in the incidence rate of seven days per 100,000 inhabitants in the week to October 30, compared to the previous week.

“Ireland’s progress is remarkable compared to the rapidly deteriorating outlook across Europe. It is paramount that we maintain and continue to reduce the incidence of disease as much as possible in the coming weeks.”

Interactive map: Covid-19 cases in your area

Dr Hickey said that the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC) has classified most countries in Europe as people experiencing an “epidemiological situation of grave concern.”

He said positivity tests in these countries have increased since August, pointing to a real increase in transmission of the virus.

With high levels of community transmission, it is difficult to protect the vulnerable and this was a message that NPHET wanted to emphasize.

Dr. Hickey added that many countries in Europe are experiencing rising death rates.

In Ireland, we also continue to see an increase in mortality: so far in October, 96 people with Covid-19 have died and 34 of them in nursing homes.

This compares with a total of 36 deaths in people with Covid-19 in September and five in August.

HSE Clinical Director Dr. Colm Henry said: “There has been a significant reduction in emergency presentations and admissions in recent weeks, compared to last year’s activity.

“Our Emergency Departments have established avenues of care to keep patients and staff safe. If you need urgent or emergency care at our hospitals, this care can be provided safely.”

Dr. Henry said that while the hospital system “is currently stable,” the experience in Europe was a reminder that we are “only a few weeks away from health systems becoming overwhelmed.”

Of the cases reported today, 64% are under 45 with 228 in Dublin, 120 in Cork, 50 in Meath, 41 in Donegal, 41 in Galway and the remaining 292 cases are spread across all remaining counties.

Earlier today, Health Service Executive CEO Paul Reid said it is difficult to predict when Covid-19 cases will peak during the winter.

He said there has been a steady trend in increasing hospitalizations and cases in intensive care units over the past few weeks, despite positive trends such as reduced positivity rate and fewer social contacts.

Nine more deaths from coronavirus have been recorded in Northern Ireland, eight of them occurred in the past 24 hours. The official death toll there stands at 697.

566 new cases of the disease were reported, bringing the total number of cases in the north to 37,782.

Meanwhile, a record surge in coronavirus cases in the United States is pushing hospitals to the brink of capacity and killing up to 1,000 people a day, the latest figures show.

The country yesterday broke its single-day record for new infections, reporting at least 91,248, while more than 1,000 people with the virus died.

Earlier, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly called on the member states of the European Union to increase cooperation in the fight against Covid-19.

His comments came as EU health ministers received a harsh update from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control on the rise of Covid-19 in Europe.

Also today, an article in the leading scientific journal Nature suggested that data collected around the world increasingly suggests that schools are not hot spots for coronavirus infections.

He says international evidence also shows that when outbreaks do occur, they mostly result in only a small number of people getting sick.



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