Munster's virus-free areas double but Tipperary retains high infection rate

Bandon-Kinsale and Bantry in Cork are among Munster's virus-free LEAs. Picture Denis Minihane.

The number of Covid-free areas in Munster has doubled in the past week, new data on infection rates show. 

The news comes as this week, the number of patients being treated for Covid-19 in hospital fell to the lowest levels seen since December, as health officials expressed hope that infection rates were moving in the right direction. 

As of 8am this morning, 208 coronavirus patients were in hospital, of whom 52 were in ICU.

While Covid-19 infection rates remain high in pockets of the country, the number of local areas designated as almost virus-free has risen to 20 nationally, with more than half of these in Munster.

Out of 46 local electoral areas in the Munster region, 12 have reported fewer than five cases of Covid-19 in the previous two weeks, giving them an almost virus-free status.

Virus-free LEAs

The virus-free LEAs include Kanturk, Skibbereen, Bandon-Kinsale, and Bantry in Cork, Kenmare, Corca Dhuibhne, Listowel, Castleisland in Kerry, and Dungarvan, Portlaw-Kilmacthomas, Lismore and Tramore-Waterford City West in Waterford.

Elsewhere in the country, eight other LEAs had fewer than five Covid cases in the previous two weeks, including Kilkenny, Callan-Thomastown, and Muinebeag in Kilkenny, Sligo-Drumcliff and Ballymote-Tobercurry in Sligo, Belmullet in Mayo, Connemara North in Galway, and Carrick-On-Shannon in Leitrim.

Nationally the Covid-19 infection rate stood at 157.1 cases per 100,000 population on Monday last, April 5.

Tullamore town in Offaly continues to have the highest infection rate in the country at 672.2 cases per 100,000 population – more than four times the national infection rate, although the rate has fallen from 823.1 cases per 100,000 population the previous week.

Covid-19 hotspots

The top 10 Covid-19 hotspots also feature parts of Dublin (Balbriggan, North Inner City, Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart, Ongar, Swords), Donegal (Letterkenny, Milford), Cavan (Cavan-Belturbert) and Westmeath (Mullingar).

In Munster, the highest infection rates were evident in Tipperary, Limerick and Waterford, with one or two pockets of infection in Cork and Kerry.

The Roscrea-Templemore area of Tipperary continues to have the highest infection rate in Munster at 295.3 cases per 100,000 population – almost twice the national average, although the rate has seen a marginal fall from 313.4 cases per 100,000 population the previous week.

Professor Philip Nolan, chair of Nphet's Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group said the current picture was stable and possibly improving.

Professor Philip Nolan, chair of the Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said the current picture was stable and possibly improving, although he warned that any impacts from the Easter weekend were not yet evident.

There have been 14 further Covid-19 related deaths and 455 new cases of the virus confirmed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) this evening.

Of the deaths reported today 3 occurred in April, 1 occurred in March, 6 occurred in February, and 4 occurred in January