Coronavirus: 6 Deaths; 431 New Cases Confirmed Today

National news updates on Wednesday 16th December.

Latest Figures:

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been notified of 6 additional deaths related to COVID-19.

There has been a total of 2,140 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.

As of midnight Tuesday 15th December, the HPSC has been notified of 431 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 77,197 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland. 

Of the cases notified today;

  • 185 are men / 244 are women
  • 67% are under 45 years of age
  • The median age is 35 years old
  • 134 in Dublin, 53 in Donegal, 25 in Cavan, 24 in Louth, 22 in Mayo, and the remaining 173 cases are spread across all other remaining counties.
  •  

As of 2pm today 207 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 30 are in ICU. 22 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.

Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said: “We are seeing significant and concerning indicators that this disease in moving in the wrong direction, including an increase in positivity rates, and 7 day and 14 day incidence, and our 5 day average has now increased to 339 cases. Recent international experience has demonstrated just how quickly this disease can get out of control.” 

“These trends are all the more troubling because of the delicate and precarious situation we are in - as a country, we are heading into a period of potential widespread inter-household and inter-generational mixing. This is an ideal opportunity for the virus to spread and impact on those most vulnerable to its severest effects. Don’t give COVID-19 this chance: limit your contacts, prioritise who you meet, and let’s remain vigilant so we can get through this together. NPHET will meet tomorrow to review the epidemiological situation.”

The COVID-19 Dashboard provides up-to-date information on the key indicators of COVID-19 in the community.

Today’s cases, 14-day incidence per 100,000 population and new cases in last 14 days (as of midnight 15 December 2020) (incidence rate based on Census 2016 county population)

 

County

Today's cases (to midnight 15Dec2020)

14-Day incidence rate per 100,000 population (to 15Dec2020)

New Cases during last 14 days

(15Dec2020)

Ireland

431

87.9

4185

Donegal

53

245.6

391

Louth

24

201.7

260

Kilkenny

15

197.5

196

Carlow

<5

156.3

89

Cavan

25

147

112

Longford

<5

137

56

Monaghan

7

136.8

84

Limerick

13

122.6

239

Laois

13

113.3

96

Mayo

22

105

137

Dublin

134

97.7

1316

Wicklow

<5

82.1

117

Waterford

<5

79.2

92

Offaly

8

78.2

61

Kildare

17

67.9

151

Tipperary

<5

67.7

108

Meath

12

65.6

128

Wexford

15

56.8

85

Sligo

<5

50.4

33

Galway

9

50

129

Kerry

17

42

62

Roscommon

<5

38.7

25

Westmeath

<5

34.9

31

Leitrim

<5

28.1

9

Cork

18

27.6

150

Clare

<5

23.6

28

 

The 5 day moving average of cases is 339. 

The 7 day incidence rate is 48.7 per 100,000 of population.

UK:

Talks on whether the UK will revise it's Christmas Covid-19 rules will continue today.

Politicians are coming under increasing pressure to scrap the relaxation of the restrictions for five days over the festive period because of a surge in cases. 

The discussions involve representatives from Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England.

Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford says the terms were difficult to agree on so he won't put them aside lightly:

Staff at a mass vaccination centre in Cardiff have tested positive for Covid-19 just days after it opened.

It comes as new testing sites open around the city due to a surge in cases.

The local Health Board in Wales hasn't confirmed which centre was affected, but says anyone identified as a close contact would be asked to self-isolate. 

London and other parts of south England are now living under the toughest Covid-19 restrictions.

The areas have been moved into their Tier 3, after a sharp rise in cases.

Restaurants and bars there can now only operate takeaway services.

Chief Executive of UK hospitality, Kate Nicholls, says the current support being offered by the government is nowhere near enough:

Mass vaccination:

It could be early 2022 before the majority of people in the Republic are vaccinated against Covid-19, according to an infectious disease expert.

The three-stage rollout plan was announced yesterday, with nursing homes and large hospitals set to be the first to benefit.

The Health Minister said it could start by the end of the year, as EU regulators meet earlier than planned to discuss approval.

It comes as a further 8 deaths and 329 new cases of the virus were recorded here yesterday.

Consultant in Infectious Diseases, Professor Jack Lambert, says it could be some time before herd immunity is achieved:

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: The number of men using the service is also rising.

Posted by Midlands 103 on Tuesday, 15 December 2020

Northern Ireland backlog:

Patients were treated in the car park of the largest hospital in Co Antrim yesterday because of the pressure of the pandemic. 

It and the neighbouring Causeway hospital in Coleraine treated a record number of in-patients with Covid-19 in the last 24 hours. 

Yesterday, the Northern Trust hospital group had admitted a record 126 patients with Covid-19 -- filling a quarter of the beds in its two acute hospitals. 

But 96 of them were at the Antrim Area Hospital. 

But another 43 people were waiting to be admitted after turning up to the casualty department. 

They all had to be tested for Covid-19 so that they could be sent to the Covid or non-Covid area of the hospital. 

And as the pressure mounted throughout the day, ambulances started to build up outside. 

That peaked at 4pm, when 17 of them were parked up with their engines running 

Inside them were patients who'd got as far as the hospital, but couldn't be brought inside. 

In a statement, a spokesman for the hospital group said: "That is not a satisfactory situation in anybody's book."

It underlines the seriousness of the pandemic in the six counties. 

486 more people tested positive in the latest official statistics, and six more patients have died. 

The Northern Executive is set to discuss stronger restrictions on Thursday. 
 

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