Latest news updates for Sunday 14th June 2020.
Latest figures:
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been informed that a total of 1 person with COVID-19 has died.
There have now been a total 1,706 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.
As of midnight Saturday 13 June the HPSC has been notified of 8 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 25,303 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.
No new cases have been confirmed in the midlands.
Five people have been diagnosed with the illness in the last week.
Westmeath's total remains at 670 with 481 people contracting the virus in Offaly.
Figures from the Department of Health show that 264 people in Laois have tested positive for the illness.
The HSE is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread.
Today’s data from the HPSC, as of midnight, Friday 12 June (25,295 cases), reveals:
· 57% are female and 43% are male
· the median age of confirmed cases is 48 years
· 3,279 cases (13%) have been hospitalised
· Of those hospitalised, 416 cases have been admitted to ICU
· 8,130 cases are associated with healthcare workers
· Dublin has the highest number of cases at 12,210 (48% of all cases) followed by Cork with 1,533 cases (6%) and then Kildare with 1,432 cases (6%)
· Of those for whom transmission status is known: community transmission accounts for 37%, close contact accounts for 60%, travel abroad accounts for 2%
UK:
Boris Johnson insists people should be able to "shop with confidence" when non-essential stores reopen in England tomorrow.
The British Prime Minister's visited the Westfield shopping centre in east London today.
He says he's been speaking to various stores and is "very optimistic" about them opening:
Testing:
An infectious diseases expert says spare covid-19 testing capacity should be used to screen members of the public in towns with meat processing plants.
Professor Sam McConkey says people arriving in from overseas could also be swabbed in the hope of reducing the time they spend in self-isolation.
The HSE currently carries out an average of around five thousand tests a day, but could do up to 15-thousand.
Professor McConkey says that could be used to shut down any fresh outbreaks in the community:
Insurance:
Seven in ten motorists are more concerned about insurance costs now than they were last year.
A new survey from AA Ireland has found 71 percent of people agree cover costs are worrying them.
It says Covid-19 has forced more motorists to use a car in certain situations, due to limited space on public transport.
Spokesman Barry Aldworth says it's clear more people feel enough isn't being done to reduce costs, particularly in light of Covid-19:
Nursing Homes:
People will be able to visit loved ones in nursing homes for the first time in months from tomorrow.
The facilities closed to visitors in mid-March following the outbreak of Covid-19.
Only facilties that have been Covid free for 28 days are open from tomorrow.
Schools:
A Labour TD's accusing the Education Minister of making an 'incoherent statement' when it comes to social distancing in schools.
Aodhan O'Riordain's calling on the Government to make a financial package available to them when they re-open in September.
A new report from his Department claims current social distancing rules would limit in-class learning to one or two days a week, but Minister Joe McHugh says that's a non-runner.
Deputy O'Riordain says the Minister needs to be clearer and give schools funding to make conditions safe:
Local figures:
The death toll linked to Covid-19 in the Republic has reached 1,705. It follows the confirmation of five further deaths in people infected with the disease.
The total figure reflects the denotification of 5 deaths.
After a week of low numbers of new cases, there were 46 new positive diagnoses in the last 24 hours, with 25,295 cases to date.
However Chief Medical officer, Dr Tony Holohan says it's not an increase in the daily incidence of the disease as the samples were spread out over a number of days.
There are two new confirmed cases in the Midlands.
Validation of data at the HPSC has resulted in the denotification of 1 confirmed case in Westmeath.
670 people have tested positive in the county.
Laois has two new cases bringing its total to 264 confirmed cases of the virus while in Offaly there has been no increase with its total reminding on 481.
The Faithful county had two new cases this week.
No new cases has been identified in Westmeath in the past seven days.
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