Covid test figures fall for seventh week

The number of people being tested for Coronavirus in Cavan has fallen for the seventh consecutive week.

The number of swab tests conducted at the Ballinagh test centre in Cavan is now the lowest in all of HSE CHO1 area, which also includes counties Monaghan, Sligo-Leitrim, and Donegal.

In the week, November 23-29, just 260 people were tested for COVID-19 in the county.

This is down from a peak of 1,525 tests at the centre in a single week, October 12-18. It represents a drop of more than 82%.

There were 310 persons tested in Cavan in the week of November 16-22; 334 between November 9-15; 327 between November 2-8; 643 between October 26-November 1; and 1,259 between October 19-25.

The latest Covid figures for the county show Cavan confirmed 46 new cases in the two weeks to midnight on Sunday, November 29. It translates to a 14-day incidence rate of 60.4 cases per 100,000 of population. The national average is 89.2/100K.

To date there has been 2,185 confirmed cases of Covid in County Cavan, 133 of which were confirmed since the beginning of November.

As of November 30 there were still five patients being treated for Covid at Cavan General Hospital, with one of those attending only in the prior 24 hours period.

There are 31 hospital patients nationally currently fighting the virus in Intensive Care Units.

By comparison, neighbouring Monaghan carried out 334 tests at Cloghan GAA Centre, compared to 1,252 back in mid-October.

The Anglo-Celt understands that the HSE is continuing to weigh up a series of options concerning establishing a more long-term Covid testing facility in the county.

The HSE has looked at a number of locations to date.

Currently plans are been drafted for one of these locations, and spokesperson for the HSE again confirmed that it is “intended” that an application for lease of the site “will be prepared” in due course.

On Monday last the Health Protection Surveillance Centre reported one additional death related to Covid, bringing the death toll from the virus in Ireland to 2,053.

There has now been a total of 72,544 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.