A further drop in the spread of COVID-19 in Co Clare has been recorded.
Less than five new cases of the virus are known in the county while the 14 day incidence rate per 100k of the population in Clare has reduced to 94.3 and is the eighth lowest in the country.
Nationally, there are 592 additional cases with 253 in Dublin, 52 in Kildare, 35 in Donegal, 33 in Meath, 28 in Galway and the remaining 191 cases are spread across all other counties.
Demand for testing “remains high but is lower than it was,” Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group stated. The positivity rate “remains high at four percent but is obviously much lower than it was in early January”.
Slow continued progress of all indicators has been observed, he said. “There are some concerning trends in the data and as the incidence remains high, our situation is precarious. Increases in mobility and workplace attendance could potentially increase infection in the coming weeks. The R- number is estimated as stable at 0.6-1.0, but it is essential over the next few weeks that we stay home, continue to limit our contacts and suppress transmission.”
Notification of ten further deaths has been issued to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC). 8 deaths occurred in March, 1 in February and 1 in January. The median age of those who died was 75 years and the age range was 0 – 84 years. There has been a total of 4,509 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.
Hospital figures continue to move in the right direction, there are 87 individuals in ICU because of the virus, they are included in the tally of 359 COVID-19 patients hospitalised. 32 additional hospitalisations occurred in the past 24 hours. Professor Nolan noted that the peak of October saw less than fifty individuals in intensive care because of the virus.
536,617 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Ireland as of Monday.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronan Glynn paid tribute to the more than 4,500 persons that have died because of the virus on a day which marked one year since the country’s first death related to the virus was announced.
He confirmed that Ireland has four vaccines authorised by the European Medicines Agency following approval of the Jansen vaccine “which offers us a way out of this pandemic. We must continue to protect as many people as possible from the severe effects of COVID-19 and to give people a chance to become vaccinated over the next number of weeks and months”.
Today, NPHET endorsed new HPSC guidance on nursing home visitation which allows for more regular visiting. The new guidance comes into effect from March 22nd. Residents may be facilitated to receive two visits per week on general compassionate grounds. This will be possible following two weeks after full vaccination of approximately 8 out of 10 of all residents and healthcare workers in the nursing home. There is no requirement to limit visits to less than one hour. This is an increase from the current guidance where one visit per resident is facilitated every two weeks
Professor Martin Cormican, Clinical Lead for Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control, HSE noted, “Nursing home residents have been particularly impacted by the severity of COVID-19 restrictions. Thanks to vaccination we are delighted to be in a position to recommend new guidance and hopefully relieve residents and their families of some of the isolation they have endured for so long”.
Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly (FF) said the new guidance was a welcome development and underpinned the benefits from the implementation of the vaccine programme. “While the previous guidance had provided for visiting on critical and compassionate grounds this new guidance now expands the scope of visiting on general compassionate grounds. Meaningful contact with family and friends is important at all times which is why these additional grounds will be facilitated. Compassionate grounds could be for example to see a family member or friend as prolonged absence is causing upset or for personal reasons, to make financial or other arrangements or to advocate on their behalf”.
