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The Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan at a media briefing last week. Sasko Lazarov

Coronavirus: 12 deaths and 1,620 new Covid-19 cases confirmed in Ireland

The latest figures were confirmed by health officials this evening.

HEALTH OFFICIALS HAVE this evening reported 1,620 more cases of Covid-19 in Ireland. 

A further 12 people with the coronavirus have also died, according to the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET). 

This brings to 2,237 the total number of people with Covid-19 who have died in Ireland and 91,779 total confirmed coronavirus cases.

Of the cases notified today:

  • 794 are men / 819 are women
  • 65% are under 45 years of age
  • The median age is 34 years old
  • 498 in Dublin, 203 in Limerick, 89 in Galway, 73 in Cork, 67 in Mayo and the remaining 690 cases are spread across all other counties. 

Chair of the NPHET Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group Professor Philip Nolan said: “The epidemiological situation is very serious and the virus is spreading rapidly amongst all age groups, increasing the risk to those most vulnerable to severe infection, such as the medically vulnerable and people over 60 years of age.”

He said the R-number currently stands at at least 1.6-1.8. The growth rate is estimated at 7%-10%. 

“We project significant further increase in cases and hospitalisations in the coming days before public health measures take effect and are likely to see over 700-1000 people in hospital with COVID-19 early in the New Year,” Nolan said. 

While it is difficult to face into further restrictions, it is vital that everyone plays their part by following the public health advice to protect those most vulnerable in the population.

Nolan said if the R-number is reduced to 1.4, we’ll be looking at 2,000 cases per day by 9 January and 3,000 cases per day by 23 January.

“If we bring the reproduction number down, but not enough, if we bring it down to 1.1, we’ll be looking at 1,800 cases a day by 6 January and close to 2,000 cases per day by the end of January,” he added. 

“If we supress transmission of the virus, if we bring the reproduction number down to 0.9, we should peak at around 1,800 cases a day in early January and then slowly bring the disease back under control, to around 1,200 cases a day by the end of January.

“I would hope we can do better than that, but we need to at least do that.”

The Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said: “We are once again in the mitigation stage of this pandemic. The alarming escalation in the incidence of the virus in the general population gives great cause for concern.”

“This disease is now widespread in our communities and as a result we are asking everyone to behave as if they are a close contact.”

The 14-day incidence rate now stands at 296.7 cases per 100,000 people. 

Northern Ireland this afternoon reported 1,929 further Covid-19 cases and 11 deaths. 

Earlier today, the Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said people need to “look at their plans” in the coming weeks and reduce their contact with others as the country deals with the third wave of Covid-19. 

The government last night announced the country would re-enter a Level 5 lockdown for at least one month.

- Additional reporting by Press Association.

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    Mute Paul Culligan
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    Aug 17th 2015, 7:38 PM

    Must send some of me with the wife. She hasn’t moved a muscle in years.

    101
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    Mute Al Ca
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    Aug 17th 2015, 7:35 PM

    Sick feckers!

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    Mute John Hayes
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    Aug 17th 2015, 10:07 PM

    Lad working with me was a supervisor in his last job. Russian lad working for him says the mother died needed to go home all above board so far. He returned two weeks later got chatting to your man. Would you like to see my mother he says ? Ah go on so show me the pictures. There they were all pictures with the dead mother in the casket giving thumbs up the works. He said he was disturbed for weeks after it. Some weird folk them Russians.

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    Mute Colin Moran
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    Aug 17th 2015, 8:43 PM

    The sooner this planet is taken over by a superior alien race who wipe out most of the population leaving only a rag-tag bunch of intelligent survivors, the better.

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    Mute Ian O'Donovan
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    Aug 17th 2015, 7:58 PM

    Is it just me or are there an increasing number of sociopaths in our society?

    52
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    Mute Brian O'Donnell
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    Aug 17th 2015, 7:33 PM

    In Russia selfie takes you.

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    Mute Dreana O'Gorman
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    Aug 17th 2015, 10:24 PM

    The strange thing is, when photography first developed, there was a disturbing fad of people posing with dead loved ones. Still hasn’t stopped being creepy.

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    Mute Brian Kearns
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    Aug 18th 2015, 2:08 PM

    That “Fad” was family members posing one last time with the deceased. These stupid B******s pose with any dead person, Just for kicks.
    A female paramedic was sacked last year,After being found posing with the dead in the back of her Ambulance .

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    Mute Jacques_DaCosta
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    Aug 17th 2015, 7:56 PM

    How long before someone commits murder to win the ‘Selfie with Corpse’ competition?

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    Mute stephen
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    Aug 17th 2015, 8:03 PM

    I had to read that headline twice, looks like I’ll have to increase my medication or stop reading thejournal.

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    Mute Joanna
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    Aug 17th 2015, 8:16 PM

    Well that’s just creepy.

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    Mute Vinny Murphy
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    Aug 17th 2015, 8:06 PM

    From Russia with Love…

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    Mute Ronan McDermott
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    Aug 18th 2015, 7:06 AM

    That’s Russia for you. Jeez what will they have next . Weird, distasteful and bizarre whatever way you look at it

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