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The Minister of Health has said that the reproduction rate at which Covid-19 is transmitted has now dropped below 1 to between 0.7 and 0.9.
Speaking at the Health Committee, Stephen Donnelly said that the decision to move to Level Five two weeks ago was made due to evidence showing the rapid increase in the number of cases.
Donnelly also told the committee that there are positive signs in recent days regarding the number of Covid-19 cases.
He acknowledged that it has been a very difficult year for everyone in Ireland and around the world.
Donnelly said the 14-day incidence rate is now 228 cases per 100,000 compared to 278 in the previous 14-day period.
He also said that the virus rate is falling in 23 of the 26 counties.
Donnelly said the median number of close contacts has dropped from six to three and the test positivity rate has dropped to 4.7%.
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He said that by acting early and comprehensively, Ireland is currently “reversing the trend” seen in many other parts of Europe.
However, he cautioned that while the numbers are encouraging, he said the number of positive cases remains a serious concern.
He said that nearly 11,000 cases have been reported in the last 14 days and said we must continue to actively suppress this virus.
On testing, Donnelly said Ireland’s testing rates are the highest by international standards.
He said the HSE initially established the ability to meet NPHET advice for up to 100,000 tests per week and recently increased to 120,000 tests per week.
Donnelly also told committee members that demand for testing dropped by at least 40% last week.
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