89 new cases and one Covid-19 death; Many recent cases are 'close contacts of confirmed cases'

Dr Ronan Glynn said: "It is individual action built upon individual action that will get us through this pandemic.". File picture: Colin Keegan,

There were 89 new cases of Covid-19 reported in the Republic today.

Officials from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) also reported one further death from coronavirus.

There have now been 29,114 confirmed cases of the virus in the Republic, and 1,777 Covid-related deaths after one death was denotified by the HPSC on validation.

NPHET said the R number is just above 1 and could be as high as 1.2.

• Of the cases notified today:
• 40 are men / 48 are women 
• 63% are under 45 years of age 
• 56% are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case 
• 8 cases have been identified as community transmission 
• 53 in Dublin, 15 in Limerick, and the remaining 21 cases are Clare, Cork, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Meath, Offaly, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow.

In the North, another 71 people have tested positive for Covid-19, the Department of Health there said.

Some 463 new cases of the virus have been detected in the last seven days, bringing the total in the North to 7,365.

Two further deaths were also reported in the North today, bringing the total to 562.

The HSE's acting chief medic, Dr Ronan Glynn, said: “Every single contribution and effort you make counts to the national push to curb the effects of this infectious virus on our society. 

"Every time you take responsibility to keep your social contacts low, avoid a crowded place or get-together, know that you are making a vital difference. It is individual action built upon individual action that will get us through this pandemic.

The effort to suppress Covid-19 begins in our own homes. Many confirmed cases in the past weeks and months have been close contacts of confirmed cases. 

"It is in our own household through regular handwashing, cough and sneeze hygiene, cleaning surfaces, limiting the number of visitors and isolating as soon as we experience any concerning symptoms that we can make the biggest impact.” 

Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said: “A close analysis of case numbers and patterns over the last week suggests that the epidemic is growing very slowly in many counties across Ireland, including Dublin. 

"A large number of cases are associated with outbreaks in private houses and families. The R number is just above 1, perhaps as high as 1.2, so the virus is circulating in the community at levels we don’t want to see. 

"This means we need to remain focused on our shared national priorities, which are the safe reopening of schools, continuing to resume non-COVID healthcare and protecting the most vulnerable to this dangerous disease.” 

Dr Colm Henry, Chief Clinical Officer, HSE, said: “The opening of schools is an important milestone in our management of this pandemic. 

"Evolving knowledge from elsewhere provides some assurance to parents of children who are returning to school regarding the behaviour of this virus among children and the risks of transmission between children. 

"We appreciate the hard work of teachers, parents, guardians, principals and school staff in getting us to this much anticipated milestone.

What we can do to help this effort is play our own part as individuals - physically distance from others at all times, avoid congregated settings, and wear a face-covering where appropriate. 

“The ongoing resumption of healthcare services is also down to our individual actions in the community. To protect our healthcare staff and patients, we need everyone to keep their social contacts low and remember to physically distance when meeting those from other households. We all need to make these safe behaviours a part of our daily routines.”