Hospitals short of beds as cases jump by 208

THERE were 208 new Covid cases confirmed yesterday as the Government revealed a four-day reduction in the self-isolation time for people who have already had the coronavirus.

The Department of Health also announced a new system for testing children.

It comes as coronavirus numbers continue to escalate nationwide, with Dublin an area of particular concern.

Hospital overcrowding has also reached its highest level this month, with 232 patients waiting on beds yesterday, according to figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

More than half of yesterday’s total cases occured in the capital (108), with 18 in Louth, 12 in Donegal, ten in Meath, nine in Kildare, eight in Waterford, seven in Cork, six in Limerick and six in Wexford.

The remaining 24 cases were recorded in Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Galway, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Mayo, Roscommon, Tipperary, Westmeath and Wicklow.

Dr Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health, confirmed that the self-isolation period for confirmed cases has been reduced from 14 days to ten – but patients must have gone at least five days without a fever.

‘NPHET has decided to reduce the period of isolation from 14 to ten days for confirmed cases from the onset of symptoms, based on advice from the Expert Advisory Group,’ he said, adding that if a person with potential Covid-19 symptoms tests negative, they should continue to isolate for 48 hours after they stop experiencing symptoms.

The four-day reduction does not apply to contacts of confirmed cases, or to people arriving from ‘red list’ countries that have a high coronavirus rate. Those two groups are still required to isolate for 14 days.

The European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) has reported a rise in cases across Europe.

Ireland is reporting a 14-day incidence of 45.4 to the ECDC, compared with 21.7 in Germany and 22.7 in Sweden.

Most countries in Europe are experiencing a rise in cases at present – with Spain having the highest rate at 270.7.

Dublin’s 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 people was 89.1 on August 13, the highest rate in the country followed by Limerick and Leitrim with 65.7 and 65.5 respectively.

Yesterday, Dr Glynn also announced that nasal swabs are now an acceptable coronavirus test for children instead of the current nasopharyngeal swab, which some children find uncomfortable or scary.

The nasopharyngeal method involves putting a swab far up the nostril until it reaches an area near the roof of the mouth.

However, a study published last month in the European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious

Diseases found that combined throat-nasal swabs, which is less invasive, produced similar results.

The Department has introduced the new testing system as more than a million children resume their education.

Overall, there have been a total of 1,784 Covid-related deaths in

Ireland and 31,192 confirmed cases. Of yesterday’s cases, 98 are men and 110 are women. Some 62% are under 45 years of age, and 33% are confirmed to be from outbreaks or from close contact with a confirmed case. Some 18 cases were the result of community transmission. sean.odriscoll@dailymail.ie

Drop in isolation time for confirmed cases