As the number of deaths and new cases continue to fall, where are people now picking up the virus?
WITH deaths and new daily cases of Covid-19 going down, where are people picking up the coronavirus?
The lockdown is loosening, and it will be tomorrow before the first figures emerge to signal if opening more shops and allowing construction work to resume has had much impact on the spread.
PRIVATE HOUSES
In the space of a week, the number of outbreaks in private houses rose by 17. You can catch the virus in your own sitting room and the more crowded, the higher the risk.
We know that more coronavirus spreads indoors.
Experts say the general principles should be: outside is better than inside; open is better than closed; fewer is better than more people; and stay away from sick people.
WORKPLACES
Meat plants have been badly hit and 103 new cases were reported in the past week. One of the problems is that they can be noisy, with staff having to shout. Shouting can lead to ‘aerosols’ being emitted, causing infection. Outbreak teams have been working with the plants.
The likelihood is that other workplaces have also been affected to a lesser degree.
One of the interesting areas to look at over the coming weeks is whether the return of construction work has made much of a difference. There have been anecdotal reports of workers on some of these sites not keeping a physical distance.
UNKNOWN SOURCE
A significant number of the 59 new cases of the virus diagnosed on Monday were due to community transmission. Those who picked it up had no idea where they contracted it.
These cases are worrying because not knowing the source means that it is more difficult for public health doctors to track the root of the infection and detect if there is a pocket of virus which could turn into something bigger.
A significant number of people do not feel ill. And in recent weeks the HSE has been testing the asymptomatic close contacts of people who test positive.
Wearing a face mask can reduce the risk of passing the virus on to somebody else in places like buses or shops.
Supermarkets do not appear to be breeding grounds for infection, figures for the big supermarket chains show low levels of infection among staff.
CLUSTERS
There are still new cases of infection being reported in long-term residential centres, including in profitable private nursing homes.
On Monday this week, an additional 43 new cases were reported of which 40 were in nursing homes.
However, overall the spread in these settings has been brought under control and significantly reduced.
CAPITAL
The highest concentration of cases since the pandemic started has been in Dublin city.
This big city trend has been seen across the world and was also seen in densely populated areas such as London and New York.
Districts of social deprivation such as parts of the inner city have contributed to the figures.
People spread viruses. Members of the Roma community, Travellers and the homeless have all suffered increases in infection this week.
AGE ADVANTAGE
The highest number of cases of the coronavirus to date has been seen in the 45-54 age group who up to midnight on Saturday accounted for 4,418 infections.
Another age group, those from 25 to 34, had 4,138 cases of the virus.
This contrasts with just 2,228 cases among people aged from 75 to 84.
But in terms of the death toll, older people have suffered most.
Experts believe our demographics here have helped to reduce deaths from the virus.
HOSPITALS AND HEALTHCARE SETTINGS
Healthcare workers make up around one-third of the people infected here so far, and the nature of the job leaves them at risk.
However, that risk can be dramatically reduced through proper infection control and the use of personal protection equipment (PPE).