Statement from the National Public Health Emergency Team - Tuesday 24 March
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been informed that a patient diagnosed with COVID-19 in Ireland has died.
The patient is a male and in the east of the country, with an underlying health condition.
There have now been seven COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has been informed of 204 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland, as at 1pm, Tuesday 24 March.
There are now 1,329 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.
The HSE is now working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread.
To date, 17,992 tests have been carried out in laboratories across the country, as of midnight last night.
Today’s data from HPSC, as of midnight, Sunday 22 March (965 cases), reveals:
The Department of Health has today launched a new COVID-19 Information Dashboard which provides up-to-date case information. It's available at www.gov.ie/dashboard.
The National Public Health Emergency Team met last night (Monday 23 March) and this morning (Tuesday 24 March) to review Ireland’s response to COVID-19 preparedness.
The following recommendations were made by the National Public Health Emergency Team and today adopted by Government:
A comprehensive list of new measures is available here.
Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said:
"We are now in the crucial weeks of our response to COVID-19. All actions we take are based on epidemiological evidence and in proportion to our experience on this island.
“As we learn more about this disease, we are prioritising who will be tested. If you are not in a priority group, you might not be tested. However, if you have the symptoms, assume you have COVID-19 and isolate yourself.”
Dr. Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said:
"Priority groups for testing include close contacts of a confirmed case with symptoms, healthcare workers with symptoms and people who are vulnerable with symptoms.
“Whether you are tested or not, the advice remains the same; if you have any symptoms, assume you have COVID-19 and isolate yourself for 14 days to help stop the spread of this disease. Household contacts of a suspected case should restrict their contacts for 14 days.”
Dr. Colm Henry, Chief Clinical Officer, HSE, said:
"14,692 samples have been tested at the NVRL, of which 94% returned negative.
“Ireland is following WHO advice to “test, test, test” and is in the top quartile in terms of number of tests we have performed per capita. This, alongside physical distancing measures and intensive contact tracing, is deemed best practice internationally for dealing with this threat.”
Analysis of public health contact tracing has shown that the average number of close contacts per confirmed case has decreased from 20+ to the region of 5 contacts. This shows that the public is following health advise and actively limiting the amount of people they engage with.
NPHET will meet again on Thursday 26 March, to review Ireland’s ongoing preparedness and response to COVID-19.
ENDS
Total number of cases | 965 | |
Total number hospitalised | 277 | |
Total number admitted to ICU | 36 | |
Total number of deaths | 6 | |
Case fatality rate | 0.6 | |
Total number of healthcare workers | 247 | |
Number clusters notified | 44 | |
Median age | 45 |
*All statistics measured at midnight on Sunday 22 March.
Gender | Number | % of Total |
Female | 431 | 45 |
Male | 534 | 55 |
Total | 965 |
*All statistics measured at midnight on Sunday 22 March.
Age Group | Number | % of Total |
<1 | 3 | 0 |
1 - 4 | 2 | 0 |
5 - 14 | 17 | 2 |
15 - 24 | 77 | 8 |
25 - 34 | 189 | 20 |
35 - 44 | 183 | 19 |
45 - 54 | 191 | 20 |
55 - 64 | 136 | 14 |
65+ | 165 | 17 |
Unknown | 2 | 0 |
Total | 965 |
*All statistics measured at midnight on Sunday 22 March.
Community transmission | 45% |
Close contact with confirmed case | 24% |
Travel Abroad | 31% |
*All statistics measured at midnight on Sunday 22 March.
Note:
In the event that a person tests positive for COVID-19 and 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 local transmission.
Travel related | 62 | 25% |
No foreign travel | 156 | 63% |
Under investigation | 29 | 12% |
Total | 247 |
*All statistics measured at midnight on Sunday 22 March.
<5 | 2 | 1% |
5 - 14 | 2 | 1% |
15 - 24 | 15 | 5% |
25 - 34 | 36 | 13% |
35 - 44 | 26 | 9% |
45 - 54 | 52 | 18% |
55 - 64 | 43 | 16% |
65+ | 101 | 37% |
*All statistics measured at midnight on Sunday 22 March.
Carlow | ≤5 | 0% |
Cavan | ≤5 | 1% |
Clare | 11 | 1% |
Cork | 123 | 13% |
Donegal | 11 | 1% |
Dublin | 535 | 56% |
Galway | 35 | 4% |
Kerry | 15 | 1% |
Kildare | 25 | 3% |
Kilkenny | 16 | 2% |
Laois | 8 | 1% |
Leitrim | ≤5 | 0% |
Limerick | 19 | 2% |
Longford | ≤5 | 1% |
Louth | 16 | 2% |
Mayo | 9 | 1% |
Meath | 16 | 2% |
Monaghan | ≤5 | 0% |
Offaly | 13 | 1% |
Roscommon | ≤5 | 0% |
Sligo | 8 | 1% |
Tipperary | 20 | 2% |
Waterford | 13 | 1% |
Westmeath | 21 | 2% |
Wexford | ≤5 | 0% |
Wicklow | 28 | 3% |
*All statistics measured at midnight on Sunday 22 March.
≤ means 'less than or equal to'.