*Photograph: John Mangan
Clare has recorded a further drop in its spread of COVID-19 with only two counties in the country having a lower 14 day incidence rate.
No new cases have been diagnosed in the county over the past 24 hours while in the last fortnight, 33 persons have tested positive in Clare for the virus.
With a 14 day incidence rate per 100k of the population of 27.8, Clare is just ahead of Cork (25.4) and Leitrim (25).
On Monday evening, the Department of Health announced 264 new cases across the country. 79 in Dublin, 24 in Donegal, 19 in Kerry, 18 in Limerick, 14 in Kildare, 14 in Wexford and the remaining 96 cases are spread across 16 other counties.
Health officials have been notified of an additional two deaths from Coronavirus leaving a death toll of 2,126.
Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan said despite the drop in the number of Covid-19 cases here since yesterday there is a still a change in the pattern of the virus and that we are in an “increasing situation”. He flagged that the five-day average of the virus is up slightly to 312 per 100,000.
He outlined that while the daily numbers have dropped, the basic message was still to limit social interactions between now and Christmas and to choose between the activities that are now possible to limit the spread of the virus.
