Coronavirus: 9 More People Have Died

Latest news updates for Saturday May 30th 2020.

Latest figures:

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been informed that a total of 9 people with COVID-19 have died.

There have now been a total 1,651* COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.

As of midnight Friday 29 May the HPSC has been notified of 59 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 24,929 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.

There are no new confirmed cases in the midlands.

Westmeath has had 667 people diagnosed with the illness. 

Offaly for the third day in a row there has been no further cases, the total remains 478.

Laois is now six days without a case, 258 people have contracted Covid-19 there. 

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, Thursday 28 May (24,870 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, 408 cases have been admitted to ICU

· 7,955 cases are associated with healthcare workers

· Dublin has the highest number of cases at 12,031 (48% of all cases) followed by Cork with 1,472 cases (6%) and then Kildare with 1,416 cases (6%)

· Of those for whom transmission status is known: community transmission accounts for 39%, close contact accounts for 58%, travel abroad accounts for 2%

Hand sanitiser:

Alcohol-based hand sanitiser can catch fire if it's left in a hot car.

That's the warning that was given to council workers in Co Limerick in a safety leaflet earlier this week, now circulating on social media.

It includes a picture of damage to a car door in which a small bottle of hand sanitiser was left when it was parked in the sun.

A spokesman for Limerick City and County Council's confirmed it's genuine -- and it's asking staff not to leave it behind.

Schools:

A teacher's union is calling on the Department of Education to publish clear advice on the re-opening of schools.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said yesterday schools would be allowed re-open from August.

However guidance has not been issued yet, with measures such as splitting classes into groups, or 'pods' under discussion.

Vice President of the INTO, Joe McKeown says this advice is needed to minimise the risks.

Italy:

Italy's Foreign minister's warned the EU against black listing his country during the summer holidays.

Greece has banned Italians from visiting - as well as people from Ireland, Britain and Spain - because of high infection rates.

In a post on Facebook, Luigi Di Maio said "Europe would collapse" if countries act differently and are dislocated.

Tracing App:

The HSE's contact tracing app is to be trialled next week.

It was initially announced on March 29th, with the expectation it would be rolled out in 10 days.

The app has faced numerous delays over the past two months, centred around the app's compatibility between Apple and Android.

It will be voluntary, and will use a bluetooth model to communicate between devices.

If a person spends a period of time in the same area as a confirmed case, a notification will be sent to the device.

The HSE has repeatedly said it will only store user's data on the phone, and won't be stored in a central database.

The Executive say it's been designed so privacy is maximised and will help people to play a role in the contact tracing process.
 

Intensive Care:

42 people are currently being treated for Covid 19 in intensive care units.

That's compared to the peak of 160 last month.

The latest HSE figures show 171 people are in hospital with a confirmed diagnosis - a drop of 22 since yesterday.

Maternity Leave:

The National Women's Council of Ireland say it shouldn't have taken the Government to fix an issue with women coming off maternity leave not being eligible for the wage subsidy scheme.

They had been excluded due to an anomoly, with the Finance Minister saying he wants all workers to be treated equally.

The payments will be backdated to the beginning of the scheme.

Director of the group is Orla O'Connor - she says it shouldn't have happened:

Nurses:

Concern's being raised that one in three Covid-19 cases in the Republic are healthcare workers.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation is hitting out at the HSE for failing to reveal more detailed statistics on infection rates.

It wants the figures so it can find out how the virus is being transmitted among nurses and to eliminate the infection risk.

INMO General Secretary, Phil Ni Sheaghdha is calling for an inquiry into the high rate of infection:

Symptoms:

The loss of smell and taste hasn't been formally added to the list of Covid-19 symptoms, and won't be until the middle of next week.

However, Siobhan Ni Bhriain from the HSE says people can still be referred for a test if they are concerned:

US:

The United States will terminate its relationship with the World Health Organisation.

US President Donald Trump temporarily announced it would stop funding the UN group earlier this month, as an investigation into it's handling of the Covid-19 outbreak from China was carried out.

However, last night he said it has failed to make changes he wanted to see.

Donald Trump claims China failed to contain the outbreak:

Meanwhile, officials in Florida have approved plans for the phased reopening of Walt Disney World in Orlando.

It will start to open to the public again from the 11th of July.

They've also cleared the reopening of Sea World Entertainment there.

Both have been closed because of the coronavirus lockdown.

Contact:

Health officials are urging people to keep a record of who they're meeting up with this bank holiday weekend.

They say it'll help contact tracing teams if someone develops symptoms and later tests positive.

Temperatures are set to hit 26 degrees today and anyone meeting up at parks, beaches or beauty spots are being encouraged to follow the public health advice.

A further six people with Covid 19 have died in the Republic, bringing the death toll to 1,645, and there are 39 new confirmed cases.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan says the country's currently on track to move to the next phase of easing restrictions:

Local figures:

A further 6 people with Covid 19 have died in the Republic, and there are 39  new confirmed cases.

The death toll stands at 1,645 and the total number of cases is 24,876

Westmeath has seen two new case confirmed this evening,  667 people have been confirmed to have coronavirus there. 

Offaly for the second day in a row there has been no further cases, the total remains 478.

Laois is now five days without a case, 258 people have contracted Covid-19 there.