Covid-19 Wednesday: No new deaths, 50 new cases

THERE have been no new deaths reported to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre today.
There has now been a total of 1,763 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.
As of midnight Tuesday 4th August, the HPSC has been notified of 50 confirmed cases. There is now a total of 26,303 confirmed cases in Ireland.
Of the cases notified today;
31 are men / 19 are women
81% are under 45 years of age
42 are associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case
4 cases have been identified as community transmission
11 cases are located in Wexford, 10 in Kildare, 6 in Dublin, 5 in Donegal, and 18 are spread across nine other counties (Carlow, Cork, Limerick, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Sligo, Tipperary 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: ‘I know the decision yesterday not to move to Phase 4 will have been disappointing for many. However, NPHET’s priority must be to control the spread of this virus in our communities and to protect the progress that we have achieved to date.
‘Covid-19 is an extremely contagious virus and we have seen a significant increase in its spread across multiple counties over recent days. We are monitoring this very closely.
‘Our focus over the coming weeks will be on continuing every effort to slow the spread of the virus so that our schools can reopen, our healthcare services resume, and our nursing homes are protected
‘I would also like to emphasise again the importance of continuing to practice safe behaviours such as physical distancing, washing our hands regularly, wearing a face covering where appropriate, avoiding crowds and downloading the Tracker app. Doing these things makes a real difference when it comes to controlling the spread of this virus.’
NPHET says everyone should be aware of the risk factors for getting Covid-19:
Distance– the risk increases as the distance between you and others gets smaller. Keep 2m apart where possible
Activity– How you spend time with people and what you do with them can increase your risk. Follow the government’s Stay Safe Guidelines when spending time with others
Time– The more time you spend in close contact with other people can increase your risk. Keep track of who you spend time with and how
Environment– Being outdoors is safer than being indoors. Where possible, meet with others outdoors. If this is not possible, keep windows and doors open when meeting others inside
Symptoms– Know the symptoms. If you have them, self-isolate and contact your GP immediately
Public Health Advice for all citizens available here: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/cf9b0d-new-public-health-measures-effective-now-to-prevent-further-spread-o/

Know the symptoms:
a fever (high temperature - 38 degrees Celsius or above)
a cough- this can be any kind of cough, not just dry
shortness of breathor breathing difficulties
loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
flu-like symptoms.

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 includes a review of this week’s newspaper, music from Ardfield singer Alan Tobin, and an interview with Seven Oceans swimmer Steve Redmond, who swam to the Fastnet Rock and back recently.

You can subscribe to the Southern Star Coronavirus podcast which is available on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts.