THE 14-day incidence of Covid-19 in Clare is now one third of the national average and is the fifth lowest in the country, new figures have revealed.
As of March 30, Limerick’s 14-day incidence rate was 105.7 per 100,000 and Clare’s was 61.4 per 100,000.
However, the incidence rate for Tipperary was above the national average at 172.4 per 100,000, with the national average standing at 164.14.
The 14-day incidence rate in Clare has fallen to 54.7 for the period from March 23 to April 5. This rate fell slightly in Limerick and Tipperary to 91.3 and 129 respectively.
There were 178 Covid-19 cases in Limerick, 207 in Tipperary and 65 in Clare during this two-week period.
To close of business on Monday, April 5, the UL Hospitals’ Group Covid-19 Vaccination Programme, has delivered a total of 22,224 first doses and 5,318 second doses of Covid-19 vaccine.
The figures include vaccines delivered to frontline healthcare workers across the group, HSE Mid-West Community Healthcare, the National Ambulance Service, and staff and patients of long-term residential care settings in the region.
The group are vaccinating people at risk of serious illness from the virus and in-patient aged 70 or older in their hospitals.
To close of business this Monday, the mass vaccination centre at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Meelick has seen the delivery of some 9,800 vaccinations, mostly to frontline healthcare workers and also group four patients.
It is expected the vaccination centre at Treacy’s West County in Ennis will be open later this month and when all three Mid-West centres are running at full capacity, they will deliver a total of up to 6,000 vaccines daily.
With concerns looming that we are now possibly heading for a fourth wave of Covid-19, UL Hospitals’ Group chief executive officer, Colette Cowan stressed it is now more important than ever that people do not become complacent and that members of the public continue to follow the most up-to-date advice from their public health experts.
There were 12 Covid-positive inpatients across the sites of UL Hospitals’ Group on Monday, March 29.
The Emergency Department at UHL remains busy with both Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 presentations.
Last week, ED attendances ranged between 153 and 249 patients per day. The group has seen increased demand for in-patient beds. While there are high numbers of patients waiting for in-patient beds, not all of them are waiting on trolleys in the ED.
Most patients are in designated bed spaces cubicles, bays and beds in the ED, the Covid-19 emergency admission pathway, and in the non-COVID emergency admission stream of the Acute Medical Assessment Unit and Acute Surgical Assessment Unit.
The group are currently managing two active Covid-19 outbreaks across our sites. Contact tracing and testing of staff and patients is ongoing in line with the national guidance, putting into effect all the appropriate infection control measures to mitigate the risk to patients and staff.
The group continues to slowly and safely scale up its elective activity across all sites. It recently began scaling up scheduled care capacity, commencing with day surgery and endoscopy services. It is increasing face-to-face outpatient appointments in both Nenagh and Ennis Hospitals as part of its recovery plan. This will initially be limited to 8-10 patients per clinic in line with the national guidance. Both hospitals facilitated virtual and urgent face-to-face outpatient appointments during the recent third wave.
In addition, Executive Oversight Meetings are held weekly to review group waiting lists.

– Dan Danaher