New figures released by the Department of Health last night sadly revealed that another person had lost their life at the hands of the cruel coronavirus.
The victim was a male patient from the east of the country with an underlying health condition bringing the total number of COVID-19 deaths in Ireland so far to seven.
The Department also confirmed 204 new cases of the killer bug in Ireland - that brings the total number of cases in the country to 1,329.
Two more deaths and twenty-four new cases were recorded in Northern Ireland yesterday bringing their total number of cases to 172 with 1,501 on the whole island of Ireland.
Dublin has the highest number of cases at 535, (55% of all confirmed cases) followed by Cork with 123 cases (13%).
Other figures given by the Department show that 55% of cases are male and 45% are female.
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, added: “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, commented: “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.”
