NO new cases of Covid-19 have been detected in Clare today. That’s according to the latest figures from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), who are appealing for people to follow infection control guidelines over the Bank Holiday Weekend.

It follows concern over a spike of 11 confirmed cases reported on Thursday.

Today (Friday) the HPSC has been notified of 38 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 26,065 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland.  There have been no new deaths reported to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre today. The total number of Covid-19 related fatalities to-date remains at 1,763.

The breakdown of today’s cases is as follows:

• 22 males/ 16 females
• Median age 30 years
• 82% are under 45 years of age
• 32 cases are located in Dublin or Kildare
• 26 are associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of confirmed cases
Over the past two days a total of 123 cases have been reported. Of these;
• 84 cases are linked to known outbreaks or are close contacts of other confirmed cases.
• At least 19 cases have been identified as community transmission while 20 cases remain under investigation

Commenting on the figures, Dr Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said, “Mass testing has now taken place in relation to a number of known outbreaks. We may be beginning to see more cases which we cannot link to outbreaks or close contacts. The National Public Health Emergency Team will continue to monitor this situation closely over the coming days.”

A survey of GP’s has indicated that the vast majority of patients who had contacted them with Covid-19-like symptoms in the past week had not been self-isolating since the onset of their symptoms.
“The importance of isolating as soon as you have any flu like symptoms cannot be overstated. Without this individual action we simply will not break the chains of transmission and we will put many people at risk of infection,” Dr Glynn said. “It is important that people know that there is no charge for GP or testing services relating to COVID-19. Please do not hesitate to contact your GP if you have any concerns. This weekend, the six key things people need to do are limit the size of your network & time you spend with them, keep your distance, meet up outside if possible, wash your hands, wear a face covering and download the Covid-19 related Tracker App.”