THE Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been notified of 5 additional deaths related to Covid-19.
There has been a total of 1,816 Covid-19-related deaths in Ireland.
As of midnight Tuesday 6th October the HPSC has been notified of 611 confirmed cases of Covid-19. There is now a total of 39,584 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland.
Of the cases notified today:
- 303 are men / 305 are women
- 59% are under 45 years of age
- 50% are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case
- 83 cases have been identified as community transmission
- 218 in Dublin, 63 in Cork, 60 in Donegal, 35 in Galway, 31 in Kildare and the remaining 204 are located across 21 counties.
Dr Tony Holohan, chief medical officer, Department of Health, said: ‘All key indicators of the disease have deteriorated further in the three days since the last meeting of NPHET on Sunday 4th October. Covid-19 is spreading in our community in a very worrying manner. We have to break these chains of transmission. 80 Covid-19 cases were hospitalised in August, 206 in September and 77 so far in October.
‘In August, 4 Covid-19-related deaths in total were reported, 34 in September and today on the 7th of October we report 8 Covid-19-related deaths this month.’
Dr Ronan Glynn, deputy chief medical officer, Department of Health, said: ‘Trends in case numbers and incidence are now being reflected in indicators of disease severity. The number of people in hospital has increased from 122 last Thursday to 156 this afternoon. There are currently 25 people in critical care compared to 20 one week ago.’
Professor Philip Nolan, chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said: ‘Case numbers and hospitalisations are growing exponentially. The Reproductive number is now estimated at 1.2. If we fail to reduce viral transmission nationwide immediately, we could see 1,100 – 1,500 cases per day and 300-450 people in hospital by November 7th.’
Dr Siobhán Ni Bhriain, consultant psychiatrist and HSE integrated care lead urged everyone to remind themselves of what they can do on an individual level to suppress the virus and prevent a surge on hospital demands. Currently, the average length of stay of a Covid-19 patient is 20 days in hospital and 14 days in ICU, she added.
‘ICU is the last stop in the care pathway for any illness. Focus on prevention and follow public health advice to ensure care pathways are available to as many people and treatments as possible.’
The Department of Health’s COVID-19 Information Dashboard (click here) provides the latest case information.
- To watch or listen to the Southern Star Coronavirus Podcast, please search ‘Coronavirus Podcast’ at the top right of this page or see the Southern Star on YouTube. This week’s podcast features singer and producer Iarla Ó Lionáird, a former member of the hugely successful Afro Celt Sound System. In more recent years, he has been a member of the traditional/folk supergroup The Gloaming. He spoke at length to Southern Star creative manager Niall O'Driscoll about growing up in Cúil Aodha, his varied career and making music from his home near Inistioge in Co Kilkenny during the pandemic.
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