The National Public Health Emergency Team have confirmed there are 430 more cases of coronavirus in the State.
A total of 34,990 cases of the virus have been confirmed in Ireland since late February and the total number of deaths now stands at 1,802.
Dublin has the highest number of cases at 212. Cork has 54, Donegal has 23, Galway has 23, Louth has 16. There are 15 cases in Monaghan, 12 in Clare, Meath, nine in Cavan, eight in Roscommon, seven in Wicklow, six in Limerick, five in Kildare and Tipperary, with the remaining 23 cases in 9 counties.
Of the cases notified today 222 are men and 208 are women. 72 per cent are under 45 years of age. 40 per cent are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts with a confirmed case. Fifty-nine cases have been identified as community transmission.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said he and the acting Chief Medical Officer are “cautiously optimistic” about how Dublin is faring with Level 3 restrictions but “it is very early days” yet.
He said they needed the seven-day incidence rate of the virus – to be less than half the 14-day rate.
Currently the 14-day rate is 147 cases per 100,000 of the population and the seven-day rate is 78 per 100,000.
“We want to see that seven-day rate at less than half the 14-day rate.”
Dublin is on the 10th day of three weeks of Level 3 restrictions which the Government had warned could be extended if the spread of the virus could not be contained.
He said however that there were no plans for any emergency meeting of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) in advance of its weekly meeting on Thursday.
But they were looking closely at four other counties – Cork, Galway, Louth and his own constituency of Wicklow.
And he said that north-east Kildare is up to a rate of 330 cases per 100,000 which is about four times the national average. It was demonstrated on the publicly available data hub for Covid-19, the map for every electoral area, which shows where the virus is spreading.
Mr Donnelly said on RTÉ’s This Week programme that they needed the reproduction or R rate of the virus, the rate at which those infected transmit it to others, to be below one.
The rate is currently at between 1.5 and 1.6, he said.
The Minister said that “we have 110 people in hospital and 18 people in intensive care,” with coronavirus.
He stressed that the State would continue to do everything it can but said the most powerful message was from the CMO to “think of all the people you’re planning to meet this week and halve that number”.
Questioned about the Government’s effectiveness in getting its message across about house parties and other private gatherings Mr Donnelly said the “vast majority” of people were adhering to the regulations.
He said there were incidences of house parties and gatherings that exceeded the rules but “it’s not the norm” but was highlighted because it was available for everyone to see on social media.
“The evidence we have is that the vast majority of people are doing the right thing.”
He said that Kildare, Laois and Offaly showed that “when we move early” progress is made.
Mr Donnelly said they were very concerned about bed numbers with some hospitals already nearly full. He said that was why they had introduced the winter plan two months early with provision for almost 600 extra emergency beds and additional investment in community supports to keep people at home.
He added that the HSE is negotiation with each private hospital one by one for services. They are looking for “surge capacity” and additional capacity to treat public patients in the private hospitals.
Earlier infectious diseases consultant Professor Sam McConkey said Government restrictions on movement might not be needed if people changed their behaviour voluntarily to combat the spread of Covid-19, “I think if people in Cork where it’s rising were to change their socialising voluntarily for two or four weeks “ then “you wouldn’t need legislation and rigidly enforced heavy-handed restrictions”.
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