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Tonight three deaths and 1,283 more cases of Covid-19 were reported in the Republic, while in the North there were five deaths and 1,012 more cases.
The figure of 1,283 represents a new daily maximum for the Republic.
The number of deaths related to the coronavirus is now 1,852, including probable and possible deaths, and the total known cases in the state is now 49,962.
The latest figures show there were 33 seriously ill people with Covid-19 in the hospital’s intensive care units on Sunday morning, an increase from three the day before.
This is the highest number of people with the disease in intensive care units since infections began to rise again in the summer, but below the peak number of 160 in ICUs in April.
There were five admissions to the ICU in the 24-hour period and three people were discharged.
There were 277 people with confirmed cases of the disease in the hospital as of 2 p.m. Sunday, with 17 people admitted in the previous 24 hours.
Of the 1,283 cases reported to the State Health Protection Surveillance Center (HPSC), more than two-thirds were under 45 years of age and the average age was 31.
Some 408, or just under a third of the new confirmed cases, were in Dublin.
There were 156 new cases in Cork, 88 in Kildare, 80 in Meath, 55 in Limerick, and the remaining 496 cases were spread over 21 counties.
The figure shows that the number of coronavirus infections has continued to increase dramatically.
11,950 new cases of the disease have been reported during the two weeks through Saturday, more than double the 5,114 confirmed during the previous two weeks.
The incidence rate of the disease during the last fortnight is 251 cases per 100,000 people, an increase of 159.2 cases per 100,000 a week ago and 107.4 cases per 100,000 two weeks ago.
The seven-day average is 1,070, a 66 percent increase in one week.
According to a breakdown by county, Cavan remains the most infected county with 807 cases per 100,000 people, followed by Meath with 488 per 100,000, Monaghan with 374 per 100,000, Donegal with 345 per 100,000 and Clare with 322 per 100,000 .
Dublin has the 15th highest incidence rate in a county with 224.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Waterford, Wicklow, and Tipperary have the lowest infection rates, with 131.7, 119.4, and 109.2 cases per 100,000 respectively during the past 14 days.
Meanwhile, a leading public health policy adviser has warned that Ireland needs a “strong suppression” of Covid-19 for eight to 10 weeks to control it, save lives and prevent the health service from “falling flat on its face.”
Anthony Staines, a community health professor at DCU, said he believed the public would accept restrictions almost as severe as the March shutdown for a 10-week period if given “strong leadership,” a clear explanation of why they were necessary. and a clear exit strategy.
He told The Irish Times that the restrictions would have to be part of a new three-pronged approach to fighting the virus. This would include severe restrictions on the movement of people, but also a significant increase in testing to about 200,000 rapid tests per week and a significantly greater emphasis on the use of masks.
He said a lockdown alone was not going to eliminate the virus, because “when people go out again, the numbers will go up.”
If the virus were allowed to spread, “many people would get sick and many people would die and many people would suffer serious long-term effects.”
He said that even the Conservative Party in England, “not exactly the core of intellectual power in the world,” had accepted that serial and limited blockades were not going to solve the problem. “They are looking for a way out of what we are doing right now.”
He praised the situation in Australia, where very severe restrictions on public movement were introduced, tests at airports and mandatory face masks. He said that people in the Australian state of Victoria, in particular, had been “very brave in terms of biting the bullet to catch this virus.”
Speaking earlier Sunday on RTÉ Radio One, Professor Staines said: “One of my colleagues from Australia just tweeted a few hours ago: ‘Numbers in Victoria, one case today, two from yesterday, 500 to 800 in a couple of months ago. A few countries lead, while most of the world hesitates sticking to a recurring lockdown strategy. ‘
Professor Staines said he believed such a strategy would be accepted here even in the run-up to Christmas.
He said evidence from opinion polls he said the Health Department had been doing for several months showed that there was at least fairly significant public support for more restrictions. “I think the population understands it.”
“Whatever happens, the strategy will be to reduce the number of cases because I can assure you that the Irish health service cannot cope with what is happening now and will happen.”
He said restrictions aimed at bringing the number of cases of the virus to near zero or even single figures “would take a minimum of eight to 10 weeks, I’m just honest.”
“If there is clear political leadership, the people will do it,” and the country could “begin to restore the economy,” he said.
Professor Staines said that what politicians should do was “say that we are doing it to save lives, prevent the health service from falling flat on its face, and start restoring the economy.”
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