Covid-19 Saturday: 41 deaths, 778 new cases confirmed

THE Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been informed that 41 people diagnosed with Covid-19 in Ireland have died. Of these deaths:

•        35 deaths were located in the east, 2 in the north west and 4 in the west of the country
•        The deaths included 23 females and 18 males
•        The median age of today’s reported deaths is 83
•        35 people were reported as having underlying health conditions

There have now been 571 Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland. A summary of all 571 deaths provided by the HPSC shows that;

•        326 (57%) of those who died were male, 245 (43%) were female
•        The age range is 23 - 105 years
•        The median age of those who died is 83
•        330 of these cases were admitted to hospital with 46 admitted to ICU

As of 11.15am Saturday 18 April, the HPSC has been notified of the following cases;

•        An additional 630 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 reported by Irish laboratories
•        An additional 148 confirmed cases of Covid-19 reported by a laboratory in Germany

With the latest figures from Germany included, there are now a total of 14,758 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland.

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, 16 April (13,746 cases) reveals:

•        44% are male and 55% are female, with 454 clusters involving 2,964 cases
•        The median age of confirmed cases is 48 years
•        2,168 cases (16%) have been hospitalised
•        Of those hospitalised, 296 cases have been admitted to ICU
•        3,573 cases are associated with healthcare workers
•        Dublin has the highest number of cases at 6,934 (50% of all cases) followed by Cork with 979 cases (7%)
•        Of those for whom transmission status is known: community transmission accounts for 52%, close contact accounts for 43%, travel abroad accounts for 5%

Dr Tony Holohan, chief medical officer, Department of Health, said: ‘This week the National Public Health Emergency Team emphasised the importance of testing in interrupting the transmission of Covid-19 in community residential settings including nursing homes. This sector remains a priority for our focused attention and we will continue to monitor and support them through this outbreak.’