Two pop-up Covid-19 testing centres have been opened in Dublin after 133 new cases, of the 231 total nationwide, were reported in the Capital on Saturday.
The countrywide total is the highest number of cases recorded in a single day since May 14th. No further deaths have been reported by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).
Acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn urged people in Dublin to keep their social contacts as low as possible.
He said given the increase in the number of cases in Dublin, the HSE has opened pop-up swabbing centres at Croke Park and at Castleknock Health Centre.
‘People were shocked and amazed . . . they could not believe the tranquility of it all’
Government expects to reopen all pubs by the middle of this month
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Coronavirus: Two additional pop-up testing facilities to open in Dublin
“While there is a significant number of cases in Dublin today, it is important to look at the day’s figures in the context of our 7 and 14-day incidence rates,” he said.
NPHET was paying close attention to trends and patterns in the data over time, Dr Glynn said, “in order to analyse the progression of Covid-19 both across the country and in particular areas or settings”.
“However, it is now really important that people in Dublin keep their social contacts as low as possible. It is also vitally important that if you feel unwell, you self-isolate immediately.”
He said people should phone their GP without delay if concerned.
“Know the symptoms to pay close attention to - cough, shortness of breath, fever, loss of sense of taste or smell,” he said.
The total number of cases in the country now stands at 29, 534 while the number of deaths has remained at 1,777 since August 22nd.
Community transmission has been identified in 54 of the cases and 69 per cent are under the age of 45.
Kildare accounts for 18 Of the new cases, Limerick at 13, with eight in Offaly, seven in both Galway and Wicklow, six in Meath and in Cork, five in Donegal, Cavan and Waterford with the remaining 18 in Carlow, Clare, Kerry, Laois, Leitrim, Louth, Mayo Monaghan, Sligo and Tipperary.
Men account for 115 of the cases with 113 women affected.
There was 118 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Northern Ireland, according to the Department of Health.
While the department’s statistical dashboard provides updates on the number of positive test results over the weekend, it does not relay up-to-date information on coronavirus fatalities on Saturdays and Sundays.
The latest death toll reported by the department on Friday stood at 564.
‘Chapter two’ of pandemic
On Friday night, Dr Ronan Glynn said Ireland is facing into “chapter two” of the Covid-19 pandemic this winter but nobody knows what is going to happen in the coming months.
Appealing to the public to hold firm on guidelines and etiquette, Dr Glynn said “the signs are good” regarding vaccine development but that there is now a need to focus on the next nine months.
“We are in the process of closing chapter one of our experience with Covid and we are moving into chapter two now as we move into the winter,” he said on Friday’s Late Late Show.
“But I don’t want people to despair just because we are moving into the winter, there is lots we can do as individuals and families to plan for that. So Government will be providing a plan the week after next.”
Stability
In an interview often characterised by guarded optimism, Dr Glynn said he could see sports reopening to attending audiences before Christmas but that everything was dependent on the stability of the virus, which in turn is dependent on public behaviour.
As regards new rules for pubs and restaurants to maintain records of food purchases for 28 days, he said that was not a specific recommendation of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) – the guiding organisation he chairs – but that it was designed to police a minority of premises.
“I think the measure that was brought in in the last 24 hours was a genuine effort not to impact on those vast majority of businesses that have been trying to do the right thing but actually to clamp down on the ones that weren’t.”
He also said that while the Government did not always take NPHET’s advice, this did not puzzle him.
“It’s for Government to take our recommendations and place them in a much wider context.”
Coming months
The acting CMO’s focus is on the coming months, however, and he cautioned that there was no expert in the world who could definitively say what will happen.
Ireland has stabilised its recent increase in cases but he said when compared to other European countries, these rates were likely to fluctuate comparatively for some time.
“As we sit here tonight the disease is stable,” he said. “Schools have just reopened. We need to look to see what happens with the disease over the next couple of weeks; if we see a continued stabilisation or improvement then we will obviously look again at the measures, relax the measures.” – Additional reporting PA
