Coronavirus: 66 New Cases Confirmed

Latest news updates for Sunday 16th August 2020.

Latest figures:

There have been no new deaths reported to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre today.

There has now been a total of 1,774 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.

As of midnight Saturday 15^th August, the HPSC has been notified of 66 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 27,257 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland. 

Of the cases notified today;

• 34 are men / 29 are women
• 67% are under 45 years of age
• 12 are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case
• 3 cases have been identified as community transmission
• The remainder of these cases are still under investigation
• 21 in Kildare, 16 in Dublin, 6 in Limerick, and the rest of the 23 cases are in Clare, Donegal, Laois, Louth, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Wicklow.

The HSE is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread.

The COVID-19 Dashboard provides up-to-date information on the key indicators of COVID-19 in the community.

Dr Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said; Dr Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said; “NPHET will meet tomorrow to review and discuss the case figures that have been reported in recent days and will make any necessary recommendations to Government which are required to protect the vulnerable, continue with the resumption of healthcare services and ensure the safe reopening of our schools.”

“The phased reopening of the country has afforded people the opportunity to socialise with each other again. However, some are doing this recklessly and undermining the efforts of the majority of people around the country who are following public health advice. This cannot continue. This pandemic isn’t over just because we are tired of living with it.”

 “We must all learn to behave and interact in a new way over the coming months so that COVID-19 cannot take root again in our communities. Please avoid crowds, reduce your social contacts, keep your distance from others, wash your hands and wear face coverings.”

All statistics measured at midnight on Friday 14 August show there have been 682 cases confirmed in Westmeath, 597 in Offaly and Laois has had 355. 

Note: The acting Chief Medical Officer, Ronan Glynn, releases figures for the counties with the highest number of cases as of midnight, and the latest county by county breakdown available from the Department of Health are  measured at midnight on Friday 14 August. 

Testing:

A GP's warning the country will be 'snookered' if Covid-19 cases continue to increase into the winter flu season.

Dr. Ilona Duffy says many GP's are experiencing their busiest August ever, and the situation could become unmanageable as people get colds and flu in the months ahead.

Yesterday saw the highest daily increase in coronavirus cases since May at 200, with health officials reporting multiple clusters across the country.

Dr Duffy says boosting our testing programme is the best chance we have of tackling outbreaks:

Pubs:

The Licensed Vintners Association says its "absolutely fuming" over scenes at a Dublin venue this weekend.

Footage emerged yesterday of a party taking place at a city centre premises with no social distancing being enforced.

A barman can also be seen in the video standing on the bar pouring drink from a bottle into several people's mouths.

Chief Executive of the Licensed Vintners Association, Donal O' Keefe, says it's very damaging to the hospitality sector:

Creches:

Capacity is still a major issue for creches according to Early Childhood Ireland.

Many creches are due to reopen at the end of August along with schools.

Early Childhood Ireland says the sector is in a 'precarious' position, with many issues even before COVID-19 still visible in the sector.

Director of Policy and Advocacy Francis Byrne says sustainability is one of those problems:

Schools:

Schools want rapid Covid-19 testing to be made available to teachers when they reopen.

The Irish National Teachers Organisation is warning if there is a delay in testing, schools could be left without appropriate staff cover.

It is calling for priority access for staff who request a test.

General Secretary of the INTO John Boyle, says more needs to be done to ensure the reopening can be safely managed:

UK:

The UK government's launching a campaign to persuade parents that it's safe for their children to go back to school in England next month.

It highlights measures being taken to lower the risk of contracting Covid-19.

Andrea Parker - lead headteacher for three schools in south-west London - has been chosen to front it.

She says it's vital children return to classrooms:

Virus:

Doctors working to manage the Covid-19 pandemic recorded 200 positive tests for Covid-19 yesterday.

It's a level not seen since the peak of the outbreak here early in May.

There were no deaths among patients and 68% f yesterday's new confirmed cases were people under the age of 45.

GP Dr Maitiú Ó Tuathail says he's hugely concerned about what could happen when that younger cohort starts to transmit the virus to older friends, neighbours and relatives:

Face masks:

It's a month since face coverings were made mandatory in shops to try and fight the spread of Covid-19.

Retail Excellence Ireland says compliance has been generally high at around 90% -- but it seems to be harder to achieve in smaller shops and convenience stores.

Trade union Mandate has advised its members not to approach customers who aren't wearing a mask, and ask their manager to deal with it.

Dublin shop worker Hiram (pron: high-ram) Harrington had items thrown at her by a man she asked to put on a mask in the shop last Thursday.

She says the pandemic's made her nervous around difficult customers:

Local figures:

Two hundred further cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed today -- a situation the country's top public health official is calling "deeply concerning".

Dr Ronan Glynn says it's the highest daily increase in numbers since May, with "multiple clusters" identified where there has been a secondary spread of the disease.

81 people have tested positive in Kildare, 56 in Dublin, 13 in Tipperary, 8 in Limerick, 6 each in Laois and Galway, and five each in Kilkenny and Galway.

There were no further deaths reported among patients, but today's data brings the total infected in the Republic past 27-thousand for the first time.

Department of Health statistics measured at midnight on Thursday 13 August, show there have been 593 cases confirmed in Offaly, Laois has had 349 people diagnosed with the illness, while Westmeath's total stands at 682.