*Photograph: John Mangan
Seven new cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed in Co Clare.
A total of 190 new cases have been recorded across the country bringing the national tally to 27,499. Of the 190 cases announced on Tuesday, seven are located in Co Clare which is the fifth highest of all counties reporting an increase.
It means that 439 persons from Clare have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the first case emerged in the county back in March.
Kildare once again accounts for the majority of cases (48), followed by Dublin (46), Tipperary (38), Limerick (20) and Clare. The remaining 31 persons to test positive are located in Carlow, Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, Laois, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow.
According to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, 75 percent of the cases are under the age of 45. Community transmission is responsible for 14 of the cases with 75 attributed to close contact with a known case or outbreak.
One further death has been recorded, the Department of Health have confirmed. Since March, 1,775 people have died from the virus.
Earlier today, UL Hospitals Group confirmed there had been an outbreak of COVID-19 at University Hospital Limerick.
Acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronan Glynn in a statement on Tuesday evening highlighted that a balance “between enjoying our lives and behaving responsibly” must be found. “By reducing our social contacts and following the public health advice we can suppress this virus.
Clare 432 (0)
Kilkenny 372 (0)
Laois 362 (+4)
Roscommon 350 (0)
Kerry 321 (0)
Longford 290 (+1)
Wexford 247 (0)
Carlow 204 (0)
Waterford 168 (0)
Sligo 156 (0)
Leitrim 85 (0)#Covid_19 no additional cases in 15/26 counties as per Sunday’s figures.— Páraic McMahon (@thepmanofficial) August 18, 2020
“To keep our shops, hotels, restaurants and sporting activities open, we need every household to play it’s part and every workplace and organisation to provide a safe environment so that we can protect our loved ones, safeguard the most vulnerable, protect our health services and ensure children get back to school in the coming weeks,” he added.
