Massive daily surge of 357 cases... with 218 in Dublin
A DAILY surge of Covid cases in Ireland totalling 357 was confirmed yesterday – the highest rate since the start of the summer.
Continuing a recent trend, the vast majority – more than 60% – were in Dublin.
There were also three deaths recorded yesterday, with Taoiseach Michéal Martin saying he is ‘very worried about’ the capital’s rate of cases as he urged residents not to leave Dublin, even if they’ve booked staycations.
‘I’m encouraging people not to travel,’ he said, as new figures revealed 218 of yesterday’s cases were in the capital.
The country is at Level 2, the second lowest risk category in the new ‘Living with Covid’ plan, and Mr Martin stopped short of ruling out a move up to Level 3 for the capital if daily figures do not begin to decline.
‘I don’t know, that’s a matter for the Chief Medical Officer and he did indicate more modelling would need to be done but we are very worried about Dublin, and let’s be clear the numbers are going in the wrong direction,’ he said in an interview with RTÉ’s Six One News yesterday. ‘There is an absolute need for people to maintain social distancing and in particular to reduce their social contacts very significantly to try to avoid the spread.’
Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn, meanwhile, pleaded with the public to double down on efforts to curb the spread of the virus.
He said yesterday: ‘In the first half of 2020, Ireland responded swiftly to a new and unpredictable pandemic. Our collective response suppressed the curve, saved lives and put us on a solid foundation to deal with Covid-19 going forward.
‘The basic preventions against the spread of Covid-19 remain unchanged; wash your hands regularly; physically distance from others, including friends and family; wear a face covering; know the symptoms and what to do if you experience them.’
Of the latest cases confirmed, there were 18 in Co. Louth, 12 in Waterford, 11 in Kildare, and nine in Cork. There was an additional eight in Kerry, eight in Limerick and eight in Meath. A total of 60% of these cases were as a result of community transmission.
The Department was also made aware of a further three deaths, bringing the overall figure of Covid-19-related deaths to 1,787.
Meanwhile, the latest report from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre into confirmed cases of Covid-19 found 41% of people of those who died had no underlying condition, and just over 36% had an underlying condition. Of those with an underlying condition reported, 44% of people had one condition; 22% had two conditions; and 17% had three or more conditions.
The research also looked into the confirmed cases up to midnight on September 12. The vast majority of Covid-19 patients who ended up in an intensive care unit had an underlying condition – 87% – and 95% of those who died from the virus had an underlying condition.
Nurses recently warned of a ‘toxic combination’ of hospital overcrowding and Covid-19, as the number of patients on trolleys hit its highest level since March. Liam Conway of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation said: ‘‘This is a deadly virus and our frontline members are rightly worried for their safety and that of their patients.’