Covid-19 Wednesday: 38 more deaths, 1,068 more cases

THE Department of Health has said this evening that 38 people diagnosed with Covid-19 in Ireland have died.

Of these deaths:

•        29 deaths were located in the east, 6 in the west, 3 in the south of the country
•        the people included 22 males and 16 females
•        the median age of today’s reported deaths is 84
•        28 people were reported as having underlying health conditions

There have now been 444 Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland.

As of 1pm Wednesday 15th April, the HPSC has been notified of the following cases:

•        An additional 657 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 reported by Irish laboratories
•        An additional 411 confirmed cases of Covid-19 reported by a laboratory in Germany

With the latest figures from Germany included, there are now a total of 12,547 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland, with 829 of these in Co Cork.

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, Monday 13th April (11,261 cases), reveals:

•        55% are female and 45% are male, with 413 clusters involving 2,244 cases
•        the median age of confirmed cases is 48 years
•        1,968 cases (18%) have been hospitalised
•        Of those hospitalised, 280 cases have been admitted to ICU
•        2,872 cases are associated with healthcare workers
•        Dublin has the highest number of cases at 5,850 (52% of all cases) followed by Cork with 829 cases (7%)
•        Of those for whom transmission status is known: community transmission accounts for 52%, close contact accounts for 42%, travel abroad accounts for 6%

Dr Tony Holohan, chief medical officer, Department of Health, said: ‘We are continuing to monitor the course of this disease across a range of indicators – not only in the number of confirmed cases and deaths reported but also through hospital and ICU admissions, clusters and patterns of transmission.

‘While a number of these parameters are going in a positive direction, it is clear that we need to keep going in our efforts, on an individual level, to limit the spread of this virus.’

Dr Ronan Glynn, deputy chief medical officer, Department of Health, said: ‘The World Health Organisation yesterday published its Covid-19 strategy update. This strategy re-emphasises the need for comprehensive public health measures to slow the spread of the virus, with additional capacity to respond rapidly to sporadic cases and clusters when they occur.’

Dr Siobhan Ni Bhriain, consultant psychiatrist and HSE integrated care lead, said: ‘There are still concerning reports that attendance to emergency departments is unusually low. This concerns us. Everyone should continue to seek medical intervention if concerned about their health. Do not ignore symptoms of illness because of fear of contracting Covid-19 or fear of imposition on healthcare staff. The health service is there for everyone and all medical concerns.’

The Department of Health’s COVID-19 Information Dashboard (click here) provides the latest case information.