A local electoral area in Longford has reported the highest rate of Covid-19 in the State, more than three and a half times the national average, according to latest figures.
Longford LEA 7 had an incidence rate of 567 cases per 100,000 people in the last 14 days up to Monday. There were 91 confirmed cases in the electoral ward among the population of 16,046 people.
The latest data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) details the 14-day incidence rate of Covid-19 up to March 8th in each of the State's 166 electoral areas. The data is published on the Government's Covid-19 Data Hub every Thursday.
The national incidence rate of the disease was 161, following weeks of decline during strict Level 5 lockdown measures, introduced in late December.
Limerick city east local electoral area had the second highest rate of Covid-19 in the State, with an incidence of 449. This represented 159 cases in the last 14 days within the area’s population of 35,342.
Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart, west Dublin, had the third highest rate of Covid-19 spread, with an incidence of 447.
An LEA in Dublin’s north inner city had the fourth highest rate of the virus, with 444 cases per 100,000 people.
Other areas with high incidence of Covid-19 included LEAs in Tullamore, Co Offaly (418), Ballymahon, Co Longford (381), Artane-Whitehall, north Dublin (381), and Birr, Co Offaly (357).
Two electoral wards in the country reported less than five confirmed cases in the 14 days up to March 8th. These were in Macroom, Co Cork and Lismore, Co Waterford.
Five of the 10 areas with the lowest rates of Covid-19 were in Co Cork, according to the figures.
Listowel, Co Kerry, had the third lowest incidence of the disease, with 17 cases per 100,000 people.
This was followed by Bantry-west Cork, which had an incidence of 22, and Skibbereen, west Cork, with a rate of 23 cases per 100,000.
Other areas with low rates included Wexford (24), Kanturk, Co Cork (28), Cork city south west (29), Gort-Kinvara, Co Galway (29), and Ennistymon, Co Clare (30).
Stillorgan, south Dublin, had the lowest incidence of Covid-19 in the capital, with 39 cases per 100,000 people.
Other areas in Dublin with lower rates of the virus included Dún Laoghaire , with an incidence of 86 per 100,000 and Blackrock, south Dublin, which had an incidence of 109.
