Covid-19: Cork GPs close surgery after testing positive

Doctors Leonard and Mary Leader said in a post on the surgery's Facebook page that they are closing their surgeries in Boherbue, Kiskeam, Ballydesmond, and Rockchapel this week.

Doctors running a GP surgery in North Cork are contacting their patients after both contracted Covid-19.

Doctors Leonard and Mary Leader said in a post on the surgery's Facebook page that they are closing their surgeries in Boherbue, Kiskeam, Ballydesmond, and Rockchapel this week.

"Dr's Len and Mary have tested positive for Covid-19," said the post on Saturday night. "All other staff members have tested negative.

"Dr Len and Dr Mary are contacting patients who they saw on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th. If you were seen by either doctor on these dates and have not been contacted please restrict your movements and ring the surgery on Monday morning for advice."

The husband and wife team are hugely popular in the area, operating the main surgery out of Boherbue and holding outlying clinics in Rockchapel on Thursdays and in Kiskeam and Ballydesmond on Tuesdays.

One local source said the couple ran an "exceptional" GP surgery and that it was understood from others who had made contact with them that they were doing well and hoping to be back working as soon as it is safe to do so.

"They have gone out of their way to make sure everything that needs to be done is done," said the local source.

"They took every precaution. They were wearing masks when no-one was wearing masks. They were months ahead of their time in terms of the precautions [they took]."

The Facebook post attracted dozens of comments from people in the locality wishing the doctors well and hoping for a swift recovery.

It is understood some connected medical services in the area have also had to be temporarily stood down as a precautionary measure.

Two years ago, Dr Mary Joyce-Leader appeared on The Late Late Show in relation to her 'National Treasure' — a medical bag from the 1960s.

The most recent fortnightly data available on the Government's Covid-19 datahub shows the Kanturk Local Electoral Area had 20 confirmed cases of the coronavirus between September 29 and October 12, with an incidence rate of 80.2 per 100,000 population versus the national average of 177.2 per 100,000 population.