The number of Covid-19 cases in Donegal has taken another sharp rise, with 194 more detections this weekend.
There have been 4,962 cases confirmed across the Republic, with seven additional deaths.
There have been 96 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours. As of 2pm today, 685 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 62 are in ICU.
Donegal now has Ireland’s fourth highest Covid-19 incidence rate. With 1,316 new cases in Donegal in the past 14 days, the incidence rate is now 826.7 per 100,000. The national average is 469.8 per 100,000.
Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said: “This is a critical time. We are seeing a really significant surge in infection, which is leading to a very rapid increase in both hospitalisations and admissions to critical care units. This is not only unsustainable for the healthcare system, but also a deeply concerning level of preventable sickness and suffering that we must work together to address as quickly as possible.”
“The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 has more than doubled from this day last week, and so has the number of people in ICU.
“Remember that behind each hospital statistic and ICU figure is a real person like you, with a family who cares about them, and a team of healthcare workers dedicated to protecting their lives. We must be as dedicated as we all were in the spring in our commitment to following the public health advice.
“Act as though you are infectious. Stay at home. Work from home starting from tomorrow, and if you are an employer, ask your employees to work at home. What we all do at a collective level today will have a direct impact on the level of infection and hospitalisations in the weeks to come.
“Your safe actions now will protect our hospitals and those who work so hard in them. Simply put: when you stay at home, you protect the frontline healthcare workers who have worked tirelessly to keep us all safe throughout this pandemic. Hold firm and remember them.”
