Press release
Statement from the National Public Health Emergency Team - Wednesday 16 September
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been informed that 3 people with COVID-19 have died.
There has now been a total of 1,788* COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland. (*Validation of data at the HPSC has resulted in the denotification of 2 deaths. The figure of 1,788 reflects this.)
As of midnight Tuesday 15 September, the HPSC has been notified of 254 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There has now been a total of 31,799* confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland. (*Validation of data at the HPSC has resulted in the denotification of 4 confirmed cases. The figure of 31,799 confirmed cases reflects this.)
Of the cases notified today:
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:
"The current situation has deteriorated both in Dublin and nationally over the past week. Along with Dublin we have seen particularly concerning trends in Louth, Waterford and Donegal. It is now absolutely essential that people action public health advice and act as if they or those close to them are potentially infectious."
Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said:
"The reproduction number is between 1.3 – 1.7 nationally. I am more concerned than I have been at any point since late April. Case numbers appear to be growing exponentially and are likely to double every 10 to 14 days if every one of us does not immediately act to break chains of transmission of the virus. If we do not interrupt transmission now, bringing the r-number back to below 1, modelling shows that we could have 500 - 1,000 cases per day by the 16th of October, 50-60% of which would be in Dublin."
Dr Colm Henry, Chief Clinical Officer, HSE, said:
"There are currently 73 COVID-19 patients in hospital, 9 of these have been admitted in the past 24 hours. 14 of these patients are in ICU. We are seeing a sharp increase in rate of admissions of COVID-19 patients into our acute hospitals. We know that without a reversal of these trends, admissions can escalate rapidly to the point where our healthcare facilities will be under unsustainable pressure. It is more essential than ever that we all adhere to the basic measures which can weaken the virus in the community."
Dr. Mary Favier, COVID-19 advisor to the Irish College of General Practitioners, said:
"While we have been conducting a large number of tests on children, thanks to the vigilance of parents around symptoms and contacting GP’s with concerns, we have not witnessed a disproportionate rise in the number of confirmed cases in children."
ENDS
| Total number of cases | 31,551 |
| Total number hospitalised | 3,469 |
| Total number admitted to ICU | 452 |
| Total number of deaths | 1,531 |
| Total number of healthcare workers | 8,922 |
| Number clusters notified | 3,074 |
| Cases associated with clusters | 16,955 |
| Median age | 45 |
*All statistics measured at midnight on Monday 14 September.
| Gender | Number of cases | % of total |
| Female | 17,544 | 55.6 |
| Male | 13,974 | 44.3 |
| Unknown | 33 | 0.1 |
| Total | 31,551 |
*All statistics measured at midnight on Monday 14 September.
| Age range | Number of cases |
| 0 - 4 | 402 |
| 5 - 14 | 818 |
| 15 - 24 | 3,203 |
| 25 - 34 | 5,530 |
| 35 - 44 | 5,452 |
| 45 - 54 | 5,395 |
| 55 - 64 | 3,771 |
| 65 - 74 | 2,092 |
| 75 - 84 | 2,425 |
| 85+ | 2,439 |
| Unknown | 24 |
*All statistics measured at midnight on Monday 14 September.
| Transmission classification | % |
| Community transmission | 30.1 |
| Close contact with confirmed case | 66.3 |
| Travel abroad | 2.4 |
| Unknown | 1.2 |
*All statistics measured at midnight on Monday 14 September.
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.
| Age range | Number of cases |
| 0 - 4 | 29 |
| 5 - 14 | 19 |
| 15 - 24 | 85 |
| 25 - 34 | 213 |
| 35 - 44 | 279 |
| 45 - 54 | 466 |
| 55 - 64 | 512 |
| 65 - 74 | 614 |
| 75 - 84 | 765 |
| 85+ | 486 |
| Unknown | 1 |
*All statistics measured at midnight on Monday 14 September.
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 the day before |
| Carlow | 263 | 0.8 | +4 |
| Cavan | 910 | 2.9 | +5 |
| Clare | 505 | 1.6 | +2 |
| Cork | 1,697 | 5.4 | +9 |
| Donegal | 593 | 1.9 | +2 |
| Dublin | 14,883 | 47 | +218 |
| Galway | 568 | 1.8 | +4 |
| Kerry | 357 | 1.1 | +8 |
| Kildare | 2,395 | 7.6 | +11 |
| Kilkenny | 433 | 1.4 | +4 |
| Laois | 420 | 1.3 | No change |
| Leitrim | 110 | 0.4 | +4 |
| Limerick | 879 | 2.8 | +7 |
| Longford | 321 | 1 | No change |
| Louth | 931 | 3 | +20 |
| Mayo | 611 | 1.9 | +5 |
| Meath | 963 | 3.1 | +5 |
| Monaghan | 588 | 1.9 | +2 |
| Offaly | 673 | 2.1 | +5 |
| Roscommon | 381 | 1.2 | +5 |
| Sligo | 162 | 0.5 | +3 |
| Tipperary | 748 | 2.4 | +5 |
| Waterford | 271 | 0.9 | +11 |
| Westmeath | 731 | 2.3 | +10 |
| Wexford | 346 | 1.1 | +5 |
| Wicklow | 812 | 2.6 | +7 |
*All statistics measured at midnight on Monday 14 September.