Three more cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Donegal this week.
The new cases were confirmed in the county up to Monday 7th September.
HSE figures show that there have been 33 new cases in the county in the past fortnight. The total number of cases in Donegal since the outbreak began now stands at 550.
The Department of Health today reports 84 new cases of Covid-19 nationwide. Three further Covid-19 related deaths have been confirmed, where all three patients passed away in the past few days.
Of the cases notified today;
- 32 are men / 52 are women
- 66% are under 45 years of age
- 30% are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case
- 8 cases have been identified as community transmission
- 51 in Dublin, 6 in Offaly, 5 in Kildare and the remaining 22 cases are located in Cork, Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Meath, Roscommon, Tipperary, Westmeath and Wicklow.
Dr. Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said; “We continue to see a concerning pattern of cases, particularly in Dublin. Transmission is diffuse across the county, is in all age groups and is mainly being driven by social interaction within and between households.”
Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said; “While the reproduction number for Ireland as a whole is close to 1.0, the reproduction number for Dublin alone is approximately 1.4. We are seeing increasing case numbers in Dublin, growing close to 5% per day. If this were to continue, the number of cases would double every 14 days. Given the size of Dublin’s population it is essential we prevent any further spread now – by limiting our social contacts and taking precautions during any essential contacts.”
Dr Colm Henry, Chief Clinical Officer, HSE, said; “The greatest risk of transmission to school children is in the home setting. International experience reveals that reopening of schools has not been associated with significantly increasing community transmission. Instead, it is transmission of virus within communities that poses the greatest threat to schools. Again, we urge all households to think through their social plans. To keep within the 6 indoor/ 15 outdoor person gathering limits and apply physical distancing in all settings.”