Statement from the National Public Health Emergency Team - Wednesday 12 August
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From: Department of Health
- Published on: 12 August 2020
- Last updated on: 20 August 2020
There has been one new death 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 Tuesday 11 August, the HPSC has been notified of 40 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 26,838* confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland. (*Validation of data at the HPSC led to the denotification of 3 confirmed cases. The figure of 26,838 reflects this.)
Of the cases notified today:
- 21 are men and 19 are women
- 75% are under 45 years of age
- 19 are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case
- 13 cases have been identified as community transmission
- 12 are in Dublin, 11 in Kildare, 7 in Offaly, and the rest of the cases are in Clare, Donegal, Limerick, Meath, Roscommon, 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:
"When NPHET tracks and analyses COVID-19’s progression in Ireland, we take into account much more than daily figures. Although today’s number is positive relative to what we saw last weekend, we remain concerned about both the number of cases that are being reported and their distribution across the country.
"The five day average for reported cases nationally is now at 75 per day. Even when we exclude Kildare, Laois and Offaly from this, it remains significantly elevated for the rest of the country at 31 per day - it is worth recalling that in late June, the five day average for cases reported was less than 10. In light of this, I ask people to continue to hold firm and continue to closely follow public health advice."
Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said:
"Due to the nature of how this virus spreads, there can be a delay between when it seeds and when we see it emerge in our communities. For this reason, we work in 14 day and five day average periods in order to ensure that we are seeing the full picture of how the disease is behaving in Ireland. While today’s figures are relatively low in the context of this particular week, it is important that we remember that this is a long game.
"We know that COVID-19 transmits when people come into close contact with one another. When we ask you to follow public health measures and adhere to public health advice, it is with the sole aim of limiting this disease’s opportunity to spread through this close contact. It’s important that everyone in Ireland knows the things they can do in their own communities to help.
"They are: limiting our contacts, avoiding crowded indoor settings, close attention to hand and respiratory hygiene, wearing a face covering where appropriate, using the COVID Tracker app and self-isolation at the first sign of symptoms. These apply countrywide, not just in the counties of Kildare, Laois and Offaly."
Dr Siobhán Ni Bhriain, Consultant Psychiatrist and HSE Integrated Care Lead, said:
"Testing is a vital component of our national response to COVID-19. It enables us to find as many cases as possible and quickly isolate them, which helps prevent further spread. We would appeal to people who are referred for testing as close contacts to attend both tests.
"It is very important that if you experience any of the symptoms of COVID-19 - such as cough, fever, shortness of breath, or loss of sense of smell/taste - that you self-isolate immediately, and phone your GP straight away. Do not wait and see. Act quickly. This will limit the chance of this highly infectious virus transmitting further."
ENDS
Notes to the Editor:
Everyone should be aware of the risk factors for getting COVID-19:
- Distance – The risk of getting COVID-19 increases as the distance between you and others gets smaller. Keep 2 metres apart where possible
- Activity – How you spend time with people and what you do with them can increase your risk. Follow the government’s Stay Safe Guidelines when spending time with others
- Time – The more time you spend in close contact with other people can increase your risk of getting COVID-19. Keep track of who you spend time with and how
- Environment – Being outdoors is safer than being indoors. Where possible, meet with others outdoors. If this is not possible, keep windows and doors open when meeting others inside
- Symptoms – Know the symptoms. If you have them, self-isolate and contact your GP immediately
Public Health Advice for all citizens is available here.
Hospital statistics
| Total number of cases | 26,798 |
| Total number hospitalised | 3,376 |
| Total number admitted to ICU | 441 |
| Total number of deaths | 1,516 |
| Total number of healthcare workers | 8,469 |
| Number clusters notified | 2,391 |
| Cases associated with clusters | 14,572 |
| Median age | 47 |
- All statistics measured at midnight on Monday 10 August.
Gender of patients
| Gender | Number of cases | % of total |
| Female | 15,146 | 56.5 |
| Male | 11,623 | 43.4 |
| Unknown | 28 | 0.1 |
| Total | 26,767 |
- All statistics measured at midnight on Monday 10 August.
Age range affected
| Age range | Number of cases |
| 0 - 4 | 231 |
| 5 - 14 | 403 |
| 15 - 24 | 2,136 |
| 25 - 34 | 4,623 |
| 35 - 44 | 4,723 |
| 45 - 54 | 4,765 |
| 55 - 64 | 3,344 |
| 65 - 74 | 1,858 |
| 75 - 84 | 2,317 |
| 85+ | 2,377 |
| Unknown | 21 |
- All statistics measured at midnight on Monday 10 August.
How COVID-19 is spreading
| Transmission classification | % |
| Community transmission | 30.5 |
| Close contact with confirmed case | 66.9 |
| Travel abroad | 2.5 |
- All statistics measured at midnight on Monday 10 August.
Note:
In the event that a person tests positive for COVID-19 and hasn't been abroad or had contact with another confirmed case in Ireland, that's known as community transmission.
In the event that a person who tests positive for COVID-19 can be linked to another confirmed case in Ireland, that's known as close contact.
Hospitalised cases by age group
| Age range | Number of cases |
| 0 - 4 | 24 |
| 5 - 14 | 18 |
| 15 - 24 | 77 |
| 25 - 34 | 202 |
| 35 - 44 | 276 |
| 45 - 54 | 454 |
| 55 - 64 | 502 |
| 65 - 74 | 593 |
| 75 - 84 | 752 |
| 85+ | 477 |
| Unknown | 1 |
- All statistics measured at midnight on Monday 10 August.
Cases by county
Note: The Health Protection Surveillance Centre have advised that in the process of validating data and reviewing addresses, county totals may change due to cases being reassigned to another county. Totals can go up or down.
| County | Number of cases | % of total | Change since previous day |
| Carlow | 191 | 0.7 | +7 |
| Cavan | 882 | 3.3 | +1 |
| Clare | 411 | 1.5 | +5 |
| Cork | 1,587 | 5.9 | +2 |
| Donegal | 495 | 1.8 | +3 |
| Dublin | 12,625 | 47.2 | +1 |
| Galway | 501 | 1.9 | No change |
| Kerry | 320 | 1.2 | No change |
| Kildare | 1,862 | 7 | -2 |
| Kilkenny | 359 | 1.3 | No change |
| Laois | 343 | 1.3 | +2 |
| Leitrim | 85 | 0.3 | No change |
| Limerick | 630 | 2.3 | +3 |
| Longford | 288 | 1.1 | No change |
| Louth | 800 | 3 | +1 |
| Mayo | 584 | 2.2 | No change |
| Meath | 849 | 3.2 | +4 |
| Monaghan | 543 | 2 | No change |
| Offaly | 585 | 2.2 | +2 |
| Roscommon | 347 | 1.3 | No change |
| Sligo | 153 | 0.6 | No change |
| Tipperary | 548 | 2 | +2 |
| Waterford | 166 | 0.6 | No change |
| Westmeath | 682 | 2.6 | No change |
| Wexford | 245 | 0.9 | +1 |
| Wicklow | 717 | 2.7 | No change |
- All statistics measured at midnight on Monday 10 August.