Covid-19 Thursday: no new deaths, 92 new cases

THERE  have been no new deaths reported to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre today.

There has now been a total of 1,774 Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland.

As of midnight Wednesday 12^th August, the HPSC has been notified of 92 confirmed cases of Covid-19. There is now a total of 26,929 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland.

Of the cases notified today:

• 43 are men / 48 are women
• 72% are under 45 years of age
• 43 are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case
• 12 cases have been identified as community transmission
• 24 in Dublin, 24 in Kildare, 8 in Limerick, 6 in Carlow, 6 in Kilkenny, 5 in Meath, 5 in Clare, and remaining 14 cases are in Cork, Donegal, Kerry, Laois, Louth, Monaghan, Offaly, Waterford and Wicklow.

The HSE is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread.

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

Dr Ronan Glynn, acting chief medical officer, Department of Health, said: ‘We expected that this week the daily figures we report would rise and fall. NPHET is closely monitoring all trends, patterns and changes in the data, including not just case numbers but locations, age groups, and sources of transmission.

‘We are asking those in Kildare, Laois and Offaly to hold firm and stay with us in the measures introduced last weekend. As today’s figures show, cases are also occurring in several other counties around the country. This is still about a united, whole of country approach. The only way we can effectively suppress Covid-19 across Ireland in the long term is if we act together to protect each other.

‘Living with Covid-19 has undoubtedly been difficult and this pandemic has adversely impacted on people in many different ways. We know that what the public health advice asks you to do can be difficult, but we are asking you to stay the course with it.

‘Individual actions break the chains of transmission of this virus. Avoiding crowded places, limiting your social contacts, working from home where possible, not attending house parties, keeping 2m distance, washing your hands and wearing a face covering – all of these safe behaviours matter, and all of them add up to make a significant difference.’

• To watch or listen to the Southern Star Coronavirus Podcast, please search Coronavirus Podcast at the top of this page or see the Southern Star on YouTube. This week’s podcast features an interview with Grainne O’Keeffe of Skibbereen’s hugely successful Ludgate digital hub, which is coming into its own in an age of widespread remote working.

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