Statement from the National Public Health Emergency Team - Friday 4 December
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From: Department of Health
- Published on: 4 December 2020
- Last updated on: 4 December 2020
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been notified of 6 additional deaths related to COVID-19.
There has now been a total of 2,086 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.
As of midnight Thursday 3 December, the HPSC has been notified of 265* confirmed cases of COVID-19. There has now been a total of 73,491* * confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.
(*A technical issue that delayed uploading of laboratory results to the HPSC has been resolved. It led to a reduced number of cases reported in recent days. The reporting will be reflected in a higher number of cases tomorrow. There has been no impact on the management of cases or the timeliness of contact tracing. Day on day variations such as these are taken into account in all epidemiological analyses.)
(* *Validation of data at the HPSC has resulted in the denotification of 2 confirmed cases. The figure of 73,491 confirmed cases reflects this.)
Of the cases notified today:
- 133 are men and 131 are women
- 66% are under 45 years of age
- the median age is 33 years old
- 84 in Dublin, 28 in Louth, 27 in Limerick, 19 in Donegal, 15 in Wicklow, 15 in Galway and the remaining 77 cases are spread across 18 other counties
As of 2pm today, 232 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 27 are in ICU. There have been 14 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.
Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health said:
"We are now entering an important phase in our collective efforts to suppress spread of the virus. We have made significant progress and reduced transmission in our homes and communities, but it will take a consistent individual effort from everyone to keep up that momentum in coming weeks.
"The recent stabilisation in cases that we have experienced is fragile, but it is within our grasp to maximise our protection against the spread of COVID-19. I urge you to use the public health advice on regular handwashing, social distancing and wearing of face coverings to safeguard you and your family from the devastating impact this virus can have, especially on our most vulnerable people."
Dr Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health said:
"If you are heading out this weekend, please make every effort to keep safe. Plan ahead, meet outside where possible and keep your contacts to a minimum. Avoid crowded or poorly ventilated spaces and leave if your environment doesn’t feel safe."
The COVID-19 Dashboard provides up-to-date information on the key indicators of COVID-19 in the community.
ENDS
Today’s cases, 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 population and new cases in last 14 days (as of midnight 3 December 2020) (incidence rate based on Census 2016 county population)
| County | Today’s Cases (to midnight 3/12/20) | 14-Day incidence rate per 100,000 population (14 days to midnight 3/12/20) | New Cases during last 14 days (14 days to midnight 3/12/20) |
| Ireland | 265 | 78.3 | 3,727 |
| Donegal | 19 | 211.1 | 336 |
| Louth | 28 | 162.9 | 210 |
| Kilkenny | 5 | 148.1 | 147 |
| Limerick | 27 | 141.1 | 275 |
| Monaghan | 10 | 114 | 70 |
| Wicklow | 15 | 106 | 151 |
| Carlow | <5 | 93.1 | 53 |
| Longford | <5 | 90.5 | 37 |
| Dublin | 84 | 89.4 | 1,205 |
| Mayo | <5 | 82.8 | 108 |
| Tipperary | 10 | 82.7 | 132 |
| Waterford | <5 | 68.9 | 80 |
| Cavan | 6 | 52.5 | 40 |
| Roscommon | 0 | 51.1 | 33 |
| Laois | <5 | 49.6 | 42 |
| Cork | 12 | 49.4 | 268 |
| Galway | 15 | 49.2 | 127 |
| Meath | 0 | 49.2 | 96 |
| Kildare | 8 | 48.5 | 108 |
| Sligo | <5 | 42.7 | 28 |
| Clare | <5 | 38.7 | 46 |
| Offaly | <5 | 37.2 | 29 |
| Kerry | <5 | 35.2 | 52 |
| Westmeath | <5 | 25.9 | 23 |
| Wexford | <5 | 18.7 | 28 |
| Leitrim | <5 | 9.4 | 3 |
Ireland’s current 7-Day incidence rate per 100,000 population is 38.2.
Hospital statistics
| Total number of cases | 73,226 |
| Total number hospitalised | 5,278 |
| Total number admitted to ICU | 623 |
| Total number of deaths | 1,827 |
| Total number of healthcare workers | 12,137 |
| Number clusters notified | 9,640 |
| Cases associated with clusters | 40,571 |
| Median age | 39 |
- All statistics measured at midnight on Wednesday 2 December.
Gender of patients
| Gender | Number of cases |
| Male | 34,512 |
| Female | 38,683 |
| Unknown | 31 |
| Total | 73,226 |
- All statistics measured at midnight on Wednesday 2 December.
Age range affected
| Age range | Number of cases |
| 0 - 4 | 1,904 |
| 5 - 14 | 4,671 |
| 15 - 24 | 12,821 |
| 25 - 34 | 12,291 |
| 35 - 44 | 11,499 |
| 45 - 54 | 11,062 |
| 55 - 64 | 7,823 |
| 65 - 74 | 4,204 |
| 75 - 84 | 3,702 |
| 85+ | 3,221 |
| Unknown | 28 |
- All statistics measured at midnight on Wednesday 2 December.
How COVID-19 is spreading
| Transmission classification | % |
| Community transmission | 30.2 |
| Close contact with confirmed case | 67.4 |
| Travel abroad | 1.4 |
| Unknown | 1 |
- All statistics measured at midnight on Wednesday 2 December.
Note:
When a person tests positive for COVID-19 but hasn't been abroad or had contact with another confirmed case in Ireland, that's known as community transmission.
In the event that a person who tests positive for COVID-19 can be linked to another confirmed case in Ireland, that's known as close contact.
Hospitalised cases by age group
| Age range | Number of cases |
| 0 - 4 | 56 |
| 5 - 14 | 49 |
| 15 - 24 | 169 |
| 25 - 34 | 329 |
| 35 - 44 | 420 |
| 45 - 54 | 666 |
| 55 - 64 | 758 |
| 65 - 74 | 945 |
| 75 - 84 | 1,173 |
| 85+ | 711 |
| Unknown | 2 |
- All statistics measured at midnight on Wednesday 2 December.
Cases by county
| County | Number of cases | Change since the day before |
| Carlow | 663 | +9 |
| Cavan | 2,196 | +2 |
| Clare | 1,503 | No change |
| Cork | 6,413 | +6 |
| Donegal | 3,043 | +27 |
| Dublin | 27,273 | +53 |
| Galway | 2,693 | +7 |
| Kerry | 1,342 | -2 |
| Kildare | 4,112 | +2 |
| Kilkenny | 1,065 | +11 |
| Laois | 986 | No change |
| Leitrim | 266 | No change |
| Limerick | 2,831 | +13 |
| Longford | 661 | +2 |
| Louth | 2,171 | +16 |
| Mayo | 1,478 | No change |
| Meath | 3,431 | +9 |
| Monaghan | 1,267 | +11 |
| Offaly | 1,169 | No change |
| Roscommon | 955 | +4 |
| Sligo | 750 | +2 |
| Tipperary | 1,546 | +6 |
| Waterford | 1,053 | +6 |
| Westmeath | 1,554 | +1 |
| Wexford | 1,209 | No change |
| Wicklow | 1,596 | +6 |
- All statistics measured at midnight on Wednesday 2 December.