Twenty new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Limerick as more than 1,000 new cases are reported in Ireland

A FURTHER 20 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Limerick – bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 285.

Figures released by the Department of Health this Wednesday evening, show there are now a total of 12,547 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland.

According to the National Public Health Emergency Team, an additional 657 cases of Covid-19 had been reported by labs in Ireland as of 1pm this Wednesdsy. A further 411 confirmed cases were reported by a laboratory in Germany.

An additional 38 Covid-related deaths have been reported across the country, meaning there have now been 444  deaths in this country which were related to the disease.

#COVID19 #coronavirus

Statement from the National Public Health Emergency Team

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been informed that 38 people diagnosed with #COVID19 in Ireland have died.

— Department of Health (@roinnslainte) April 15, 2020

The latest data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, (relating to the 11,261 cases confirmed cases as of midnight, on Tuesday) reveals the following that 45% of those who have contracted the disease are male while 54% are female.

·        413 clusters have been identified relating to 2,244 confirmed cases

·        the median age of confirmed cases is 48 years

·        1,968 cases (18%) have been hospitalised

·        Of those hospitalised, 280 cases have been admitted to ICU

·        2,872 cases are associated with healthcare workers

·        Dublin has the highest number of cases at 5,850 (52% of all cases) followed by Cork with 829 cases (7%)

·        Of those for whom transmission status is known: community transmission accounts for 52%, close contact accounts for 42%, travel abroad accounts for 6%

Speaking at a media briefing, Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer said: “We are continuing to monitor the course of this disease across a range of indicators – not only in the number of confirmed cases and deaths reported but also through hospital and ICU admissions, clusters and patterns of transmission. While a number of these parameters are going in a positive direction, it is clear that we need to keep going in our efforts, on an individual level, to limit the spread of this virus.”  

Dr Siobhan Ni Bhriain, consultant psychiatrist and HSE Integrated Care Lead, said there are some reports that attendance at emergency departments coninues to be unusually low which is a concern.

@Everyone should continue to seek medical intervention if concerned about their health. Do not ignore symptoms of illness because of fear of contracting Covid-19 or fear of imposition on healthcare staff. The health service is there for everyone and all medical concerns,” she said.