PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS have confirmed a further 1,378 new cases of Covid-19 in Ireland, bringing the total number of cases to 187,554.
Additionally, the Department of Health has reported that 23 more people have died with Covid-19, all of which occurred during January.
Today’s update brings the total number of Covid-19 deaths in Ireland to 2,970.
Of the cases notified today:
The median age of those who died is 84 years and the age range is 61-99 years.
As of 2pm today, 1,931 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 218 are in ICU.
44 additional hospitalisations have been made in the last 24 hours.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said that “while we are starting to make progress in reducing the level of the virus in the community, this is a critical time for all of us to hold firm to the public health advice”.
“We must not let down our guard against this highly infectious disease and the risk it poses to ourselves and those most medically vulnerable to infection,” Dr Holohan said.
There is a huge volume of disease in the country and the recent surge in cases continues to place an unprecedented strain on ICUs, hospitals and other frontline healthcare services. The answer lies in driving down social contacts and congregation in all settings, including in workplaces.”
Dr Holohan said that “everyone who can, should work from home where possible”.
“For those of us who cannot work from home, it is essential to follow the public health advice in the workplace, such as the wearing of face coverings when moving around communal areas,” he said.
“We urge all employers to facilitate home working as much as possible and to ensure strict adherence to public health measures in the workplace.”
379 of today’s cases were reported in Dublin, the highest of any county, while Roscommon and Leitrim confirmed just eight new cases each.
The national 14-day incidence rate is now at 840.7 cases per 100,000 people.
Yesterday, there were 77 deaths and 1,910 more cases of Covid-19 confirmed in Ireland.
Deaths of people with Covid-19 are not reported in real time but may have occurred over a period of several days.
The number of deaths reported on a given day, therefore, does not necessarily mean that a person with Covid-19 died within the previous 24-hour period or even the preceding few days.
In the early days of the pandemic, Dr Holohan urged families, despite the difficulty, to register their loved ones’ deaths as early as possible so that health officials could gain an accurate picture of mortality.
Essentially, there is a delay between when a person dies from Covid-19 and the National Public Health Emergency Team being informed of their passing.
With reporting from Cónal Thomas
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say