BALLYJAMESDUFF, CO CAVAN now has the highest rate of Covid-19 in Ireland, according to new data from the Department of Health. 

The national breakdown of Covid-19 incidence by local area shows that parts of Cavan and Donegal – which is now under Level 4 restrictions along with Monaghan – have the highest 14-day incidence rate per 100,000.

Ballyjamesduff’s 14-day incidence rate is 651.1 cases per 100,000. Lifford-Stranorlar, Donegal is second highest with 610.3 cases per 100,000 followed by Cork City South-Central which has 566.4 cases per 100,000. 

Data on real-time incidence of Covid-19 by local electoral area has been published on the Government’s online Covid-19 data hub and was collated up to 12 October. 

Ireland’s 14-day incidence rate overall now stands at 206.7 cases per 100,000. 

Dublin remains the county with the highest number of cases reported over the past fortnight with 2,615 cases notified followed by Cork which had 1,261 cases notified. 

In Dublin, Ballyfermot-Drimnagh has the highest 14-day incidence rate with 310.4 cases per 100,000. 

Elsewhere, Galway City Central and Gorey, Co Wexford are among the highest incidence rates with 550.5 cases and 533.8 cases per 100,000 respectively. 

Other hotspots include Granard, Longford (449.7) as well as Ennis (423.8) and Kilrush (409.6) in Clare.

Health officials last night reported a record 1,205 new cases of Covid-19 in Ireland and three further deaths. 

NPHET has since recommended to the government that the country be moved to Level 5 for a period of six weeks.

As of 8am today, 244 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 29 are in ICU. There have been 25 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.

If further nationwide Level 3 restrictions have no effect on the spread of the coronavirus, it’s forecast that there will be between 1,800-2,200 Covid-19 cases a day, and over 400 people with Covid-19 in hospital by Halloween, said Professor Philip Nolan, chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group last night. 

He said that hospitalisations are “increasing exponentially, in fact, increasing exponentially faster than we projected 14 days ago”.

Speaking last night, Nolan said that the R number this week is estimated to be around 1.4 nationally up from 1.2 last week – but in Dublin it’s closer to 1, while in the rest of the country it’s around 1.6, and possibly as high as 1.8.

“What happens over the next couple of weeks very much depends on the reproduction number,” Nolan said.