Covid-19 Wednesday: 2 deaths, 54 cases confirmed

THE Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been informed that 2 people with Covid-19 in Ireland have died.

There has now been a total of 1,775* Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland.

As of midnight Tuesday 18th August, the HPSC has been notified of 54 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 27,547** confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.

Of the cases notified today:                                                                                                                                                          24 are men / 29 are women

67% are under 45 years of age

27 are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case

8 cases have been identified as community transmission

19 in Dublin, 8 in Kildare, 5 in Tipperary and the rest of the cases are in Carlow, Clare, Donegal, Kerry, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Waterford and Wexford.

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 in the community.

Dr Ronan Glynn, acting chief medical officer, Department of Health, said: ‘To save lives and suppress this virus we need everyone to reduce the number of people they meet over the next three weeks. A collective effort by households and by employers and organisations can make a huge impact on community transmission, and help to protect our families and communities from Covid-19.

‘You can still play sport, go to a restaurant and meet friends, but we are asking you to do this in as safe a way as possible. Specifically focus on two numbers – 6 and 15. Do not have more than 6 people over to your house and garden, and outside, no more than 15 people should meet up, and even then you should remain socially distanced from one another.’

• 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 Martin Hayes, legendary fiddler, ahead of this year’s Masters of Tradition music festival which will take place in a scaled-down format in Bantry, but also online.

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