Two new cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed in Clare as the county continues to have among the lowest incidence rates in Ireland.
On Friday, NPHET reported 545 new cases across the country, two of which are in Clare. 264 are in Dublin, 58 in Kildare, 50 in Cork, 29 in Donegal, 28 in Galway and the remaining 114 cases are spread across 20 other counties.
Clare’s 14 day incidence rate per 100k of the population stands at 37 and is the fourth lowest in the country.
An additional four deaths have been reported to the HPSC. There has been a total of 4,903 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.
Hospital numbers continue to decline, 139 persons remain hospitalised as of 8am with 44 of those in ICU. 8 additional hospitalisations occurred in the past 24 hours.
As of April 28th 2021, 1,487,043 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Ireland.
Easing of restrictions was labelled by Dr Tony Holohan as a “deserved turning point”. He added, “However, incidence around the country varies. Some areas are in a more precarious position than others. For example, while the national incidence rate is 125 per 100,000, Donegal currently stands at 295 per 100,000. This is extremely concerning for public health doctors locally”.
Dr Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, explained “The important thing to do as society reopens is to continue to risk assess your choices and your environment. Just because something is an option, doesn’t always mean it’s safe. Crowded places and enclosed spaces still carry a risk. If you don’t feel comfortable, or feel a place is too crowded, leave. Encourage your friends and loved ones to continue to follow the basic measures to protect themselves and their families.”
Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group stated, “Business owners, employees and customers have received welcome and much-awaited positive news regarding the restarting of our economy. However, it is extremely important that everyone take this time in anticipation of reopening to review their safety practices and protocols. This is for the benefit of us all, but critically for those who they employ.
“Remember that you have a duty of care to those that work for you, and your patrons and clients. Reopening comes with it the responsibility to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 spreading in your establishment.
“We are all looking forward to seeing one another again for a browse, a coffee, or a meal. But we must do so safely, and in new ways, to ensure this virus is kept at bay for the coming months as vaccination levels continue to increase.”
Professor Pete Lunn, Head of the Behavioural Research Unit, ESRI: “Today’s results from the latest research on people’s behaviour, undertaken independently by the institute’s Behavioural Research Unit show that while the large majority of the population continue to follow the public health guidelines in most aspects of their lives, there has nevertheless been a clear fall-off in the levels of compliance reported in recent weeks”.
