Coronavirus: 10 More People Have Died

Latest news updates for March 29th 2020.

Breaking News:

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has today been informed that 10 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Ireland have died, 8 male and 2 female.

6 deaths are located in the east of the country, 3 in the northwest of the country and 1 in the south. The median age of today’s reported deaths is 77.

There have now been 46 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has been informed of 200 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland, as at 1pm, Sunday 29 March.

There are now 2,615 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland - 110 of which are in the midlands. 

There are 67 patients in Westmeath and 29 diagnosed with the illness in Offaly.

14 people in Laois have COVID-19.

The HSE is now 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 27 March (2,216 cases), reveals:

· 51% are male and 48% are female, with 103 clusters involving 379 cases

· the median age of confirmed cases is 47 years

· 564 cases (26%) have been hospitalised

· of those hospitalised, 77 cases have been admitted to ICU

· 506 cases are associated with healthcare workers

· Dublin has the highest number of cases at 1,233 (56% of all cases) followed by Cork with 208 cases (9%)

· of those for whom transmission status is known, community transmission accounts for 51%, close contact accounts for 24%, travel abroad accounts for 25%

Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said:

"Today, we are informed of a further 10 deaths. Our condolences are with the family and friends of all patients who have died as a result of COVID-19.

“While we continue to build our capacity for intensive care, our strategy remains to prevent people from needing intensive care in the first place.

“We know the virus will not survive if we prevent it from passing among ourselves. The enhanced restrictions announced on Friday aim to slow down and restrict the spread of the virus.”

“We are asking everyone to embrace the new restrictions and follow public health advice to stay home and restrict your movements for the next two weeks. It is in all our hands to interrupt the spread of this virus.

Dr Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, noted that attendance at blood donation clinics is permitted at this time.

“I welcome the measures taken by the Irish Blood Transfusion Board to implement social distancing at their clinics and to maintain the blood supply.

“3,000 blood donations are needed every week to meet demand and the ready availability of this blood for transfusion is vital to the daily treatment of patients in our hospitals.”

Hotel:

Dublin's CityWest Hotel is being transformed into a care centre for Covid-19 patients.

It'll house around 1,100 people who need treatment or are a confirmed case.

People who are awaiting a test result will be housed there too when they can't self-isolate at home.

The HSE's Anne O'Connor says it's not for people who need critical care. 

Scotland:

41 people have now died in Scotland after testing positive for Covid-19.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says they're focusing on preparing the Scottish health service to deal with more.

UK:

A consultant in Britain has become the first hospital frontline worker to die in England - after testing positive for coronavirus.

55 year-old Amged El-Hawrani was an ear, nose and throat specialist, working in Derby and Burton hospitals.

He passed away at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester last night.

His son has described him as "dedicated" towards his family, and his profession.

Plane:

A plane carrying millions of euro of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers has arrived back in Ireland.

The Aer Lingus flight set off for Beijing yesterday to pick up the items, which includes masks, gowns and gloves, before making its return flight home.

Roughly ten more flights are due to be made over the coming days to bring in further supplies of PPE, according to the Health Minister.

Health:

People are being warned not to ignore emergency health issues because of the Covid-19 crisis.

Doctors believe some patients are not going to A and E departments over coronavirus fears.

Dr.Mick Molloy, consultant in emergency medicine in Wexford General Hospital, says treatment for many illnesses is very time sensitive:

Court:

A 19 year old man has appeared in court in Cork after allegedly spitting in the face of a garda, telling him he has coronavirus.

Adam Olden of Leamlara Close, Togher is charged with assault and two public order offences.

Gardai were called to an incident at a house in the Togher area at around 2.30am this morning.

While there, Adam Olden allegedly spat in the face of one of them, saying he had coronavirus.

Gardai described him as being aggressive.

The court heard that the guard - and another member who was at the scene - are in self-isolation and the judge remarked that Adam Olden had effectively taken two gardai off the streets for 14 days.

The court was also told that the 19-year old - who works in the retail sector - is showing no symptoms of Covid-19.

He had a lot of drink taken at the time and told gardai afterwards that it was a big joke.

He was remanded on bail on the condition that he abides by a daily curfew from 8pm to 6am, remains within 2kms from his home and gardai are at liberty to call to check that he's at home and he must stand at the window when they call.

The case will come before the court for mention on April 1st.

UK:

Another 207 people have died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus.

The total number of deaths now recorded stands at 1-thousand-235.

Meanwhile, Spain's death toll has risen to over 6 and a half thousand.

Another 838 people have lost their lives in the last 24 hours, the highest in the country since the outbreak began.

Margaret Harris from the World Health Organisation says the aim everywhere is to flatten the curve:

Notice:

Portlaoise (Kyletalesha) Civic Amenity & Waste Disposal Site and Portarlington Civic Amenity Site will be closed to the public until further notice.

Peak:

The HSE says the peak of the coronavirus pandemic in Ireland could be in less than two weeks.

It's predicting the number of cases here could reach its height between the 10th and 14th of April.

So far, over 2,400 people have tested positive in the Republic.

The HSE has today unveiled plans to turn the Citywest convention complex in Dublin into a healthcare facility for Covid 19 patients.

It'll have room for over a thousand people if capacity runs out in hospitals - CEO Paul Reid says there's two parts to it:

• Intensive Care:

  The HSE has confirmed there are 88 people in intensive care due to coronavirus but no hospital has reached its ICU capacity.
  
  Over 2,400 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Ireland but up to 80 percent of cases do not need hospitalisation.
  
  36 people with the virus have also died since the outbreak began.
  
  Chief Operations Officer with the HSE, Anne O'Connor, says new clinical hubs will also be set up this week to help those with Covid-19 symptoms:

  App:

  The HSE has confirmed that an app is being developed to assist with contact tracing.
  
  It will be an opt-in system and will send out an alert to people close to a confirmed case.
  
  The Data Protection Commissioner is working through GDPR issues, but it's expected to be available within ten days.
  
  HSE Communications Director, Paul Connors, says it'll help their efforts to tackle the virus:

  UK:

  A senior police officer in the UK says authorities are preparing for a spike in domestic abuse cases during the coronavirus lockdown.
  
  West Midlands Deputy Chief Constable Louise Rolfe says data from Italy and China suggests UK figures could triple in the coming weeks.
  
  This woman, whose words are spoken through an actor, says the rules mean she's locked in with an abusive partner:

  Beds:

  It's also been confirmed 2 thousand extra beds will be made available to the health service from private hospitals.
  
  They're operating as public facilities for the duration of the Covid 19 pandemic.
  
  Green Party leader Eamon Ryan says this should be an opportunity to have a fully public system:

   

  Pope:

  Pope Francis has backed a call by the UN Secretary General for a global ceasefire so the world can focus on fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
  
  Speaking at his weekly blessing, Pope Francis appealed to everyone to “stop every form of hostility.
  
  He also said he's in favour of the creation of corridors for humanitarian help and diplomatic efforts to fight the disease.

  New York:

  Donald Trump appears to have rowed back on a plan to put New York in quarantine.
  
  It's after the state's governor said the idea would be "preposterous".
  
  There are now over 52 thousand cases of Covid 19 in New York - almost half of the US total.
  
  President Trump has now decided to issue a "strong travel advisory".

  What we are being asked to do is challenging for all of us but we must do it to keep each other safe. Let’s share ideas with each other of things to do around the house to pass the time - family games, tv recommendations, audio books, etc. Post them here! #coronavirus #StayAtHome

  — Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) March 29, 2020

  Spain:

  Spain's coronavirus death toll has risen again by 838 cases overnight to 6,528.
  
  The total number infected in the country has also risen to just under 80-thousand.
  
  Madrid, home to a substantial number of Irish people, remains worst-hit, even as the virus grows across the country.
  
  The country is in a strict lockdown until at least April 11th, with Spanish police fining and arresting people with are outside without reason.

  Court:

  A man's due in court in Cork today after spitting in a Garda's face - and then telling them he had coronavirus.
  
  It happened after Gardai attended a domestic incident at Deanrock Estate in Togher at around 2:30 this morning.
  
  The 19 year old was arrested at the scene and taken to Bridewell Garda Station where he's since been charged.
  
  The man's due to appear before a special sitting of Anglesea Street District Court this afternoon.

  Public Notice - Services to the Public
  UPDATE 28 March 2020
  
  Westmeath County Council continues to deliver vital public services in the challenging circumstances arising from the #Covid19 pandemic. pic.twitter.com/XkB6de5JKd

  — Westmeath County Council (@westmeathcoco) March 28, 2020

  Italy:

  The deputy Minister for Health in Italy expects a drop in the number of deaths and confirmed coronavirus cases in the next week or ten days.
  
  Italy has seen over 10-thousand deaths since the outbreak began - yesterday was the highest daily toll with 919 deaths.
  
  Deputy Health Minister, Pierpalo Sileri, who also had Covid-19, says the lockdown should help bring that rate down.

  Workplaces:

  The Irish Congress of Trade Unions is calling on the Government to ensure employers make workplaces safe for essential workers.
  
  Yesterday the government issued a list of essential jobs on Gov.ie that can still be carried out during the Covid-10 restrictions.
  
  ICTU General Secretary, Patricia King, says companies that are still operating need to take steps to protect staff:

  Banks:

  The Labour leader's criticising banks for failing to honour their promise to give mortgage holders a 3 month payment break.
  
  Brendan Howlin says customers have missed their last payment, mainly because they lost their jobs due to the coronavirus crisis.
  
  He says the people bailed out the banks after 2008, and they must now give mortgage customers their three-month payment suspension:

  Anxiety:

  We're being urged not to think about the worst case scenario from the Covid 19 pandemic.
  
  Psychotherapist and counsellor Helen Vaughan has some advice on how we can deal with any anxiety:

   

  Pope:

  The Vatican says the Pope does not have coronavirus after a resident in the building where he lives tested positive for the infection.
  
  Overall there have been six confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Vatican City.
  
  Pope Francis has cancelled all public appearance during the current crisis and conducts his general audiences via TV and the internet.

  Northern Ireland:

  New powers have come into effect in Northern Ireland to enforce a 'stay at home' order.
  
  The regulations include the ability to force businesses to shut and a crack down on people who leave their homes without a "reasonable excuse".
  
  Businesses that fail to comply can be fined over 5,500 euro with a fine of over 1-thousand euro for people who fail to heed the regulations.

  Personal Protective Equipment:

  A flight carrying almost 30 million in personal protective equipment for healthcare workers will arrive at Dublin Airport today.
  
  The Aer Lingus plane is en route from Beijing with masks, gowns and gloves among the items on board.
  
  It's the first of a number of flights delivering over 200 million euro worth of PPE to the country.

  US:

  US President Donald Trump appears to have changed his mind about the possibility of imposing a quarantine on New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
  
  Writing on Twitter, he says he's asked for a strong travel advisory to be issued instead.
  
  The number of deaths in New York has risen from 519 to 728, with the number of cases now recorded at 52,318, most of them in New York City.
  
  It's also been confirmed that a child under the age of one had died in Chicago after contracting the virus.

  UK:

  Boris Johnson has raised the prospect of stricter lockdown measures in a letter that will be sent to every household in the UK.
  
  Mr Johnson is continuing to lead his government while self-isolating in the flat above Number 11 Downing Street.
  
  New figures released yesterday, show another 259 people have died in the UK after testing positive for COVID-19 - at least 13 of them had no underlying health problems.

  Government minister Michael Gove says the length of the UK lockdown due to COVID-19 is not fixed - and depends on the behaviour of people.
  
  He says 10-thousand tests are now being carried out each day - but he wants that to increase to 25-thousand.

  Funerals:

  The Catholic church has introduced stricter new guidelines to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.
  
  In a statement, the Irish Bishop's conference says funeral masses will, from now on will be celebrated at a later date, when this crisis has passed.
  
  The body of the deceased will instead be brought directly to the place of burial.
  
  There will also be no face to face confessions, while Baptisms and Marriages are no longer to be celebrated until further notice.

  NCT:

  The validity of driver licences and NCT certs could be extended, after the Transport Minister Shane Ross announced the suspension of the services with immediate effect.
  
  The National Driver Licence Service, the National Car Testing service, as well as the Commercial Vehicle Testing System are all suspended until further notice.
  
  This is to comply with the new rules aimed at battling the spread of coronavirus.

  Local figures:

  36 people in Ireland have died from COVID-19 including Offaly man John Keegan, who passed away on Tuesday.

  The Health Protection Surveillance Centre was informed that14 patients diagnosed with the illness died yesterday. 

  14 of the deaths have been in the east of the country. The median age those who passed away  is 81.

  The latest figures showed an increase of 294 confirmed cases.

  There are now 2,415 confirmed cases  in Ireland, 85 of which are in the midlands. 

  53 are in Westmeath, while 22 people in Offaly have been diagnosed with the illness.

  Laois has 11 confirmed cases.

  6 Chinese business persons in Ireland donate 40 ventilators, 200,000 masks, 20,000 respirators, 3,000 protective clothes to HSE & a few hospitals. 🇨🇳🇮🇪
  
  Thank you so much!@HSELive @IrlEmbChina @dfatirl pic.twitter.com/VIMyuhlHaa

  — Chinese Embassy in Ireland (@ChinaEmbIreland) March 28, 2020