Coronavirus cases in Cavan and Monaghan pass 1,000 mark

The Department of Health has been notified of the deaths of 43 more people with COVID-19.
It brings the Coronavirus death toll in Ireland to date to 1,232 cases.
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has also been notified of 359 confirmed cases of the virus, as of 11am today (Thursday), April 30. There is now a total of 20,612 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland. 
The latest date for which county by county figures are available is April 28. They showed that there are now 634 confirmed cases of Coronavirus in County Cavan and 393 positive cases in neighbouring County Monaghan.
The HSE is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread. 
Data from the HPSC, as of midnight, Tuesday, April 28, reveals: 
•ï€     58% are female and 42% are male 
•ï€     the median age of confirmed cases is 49 years 
•ï€     2,706 cases (13%) have been hospitalised 
•ï€     Of those hospitalised, 360 cases have been admitted to ICU 
•ï€     5,684 cases are associated with healthcare workers 
•ï€     Dublin has the highest number of cases at 9,967 (50% of all cases) followed by Kildare with 1,193 cases (6%) and then Cork with 1,146 cases (6%) 
•ï€     Of those for whom transmission status is known: community transmission accounts for 63%, close contact accounts for 33%, travel abroad accounts for 3% 

Dr Tony Holohan, chief medical officer, Department of Health, said: “The latest report of COVID-19 cases in healthcare workers reveals that 34% of cases relate to nurses, healthcare assistants amount to 24% and cases among doctors is at 7%. 

“Since the pandemic began in Ireland 72 nurses, 40 healthcare assistants, 22 doctors and 45 other allied healthcare workers have been hospitalised with COVID-19.” 

Dr Ronan Glynn, deputy chief medical officer, Department of Health, said: “Healthcare workers place themselves at risk every day during this pandemic. Supporting them and doing everything possible to protect them in their work is a priority not just for NPHET and the HSE, but society at large. The willingness of people to stay home and follow public health advice has been instrumental in this effort.” 

Professor Philip Nolan, chair of NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said: “To understand the importance of our next steps, we should look back to the pattern of the epidemic at the beginning of March. Within 10 days we went from 50 people in ICU to 140 people in ICU. Currently, there are 106 patients in ICU. If a similar surge occurred on top of our current ICU figure, we would find it very difficult to manage the treatment of patients. This reflects the sensitivity required in relaxing restrictions.”
It should be noted that validation of data at the HPSC has resulted in the denotification of one death. The figure of 1,232 deaths reflects this.