There are approximately 201 active cases* of Covid-19 in Waterford.
25 new cases have been confirmed within the last 24 hours which brings the 14-day incidence rate here to 173 per 100,000 population.
In total, 1,066 more people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland. Three more patients have died.
244 of today's cases are in Dublin, with 104 in Galway, 98 in Cork, 92 in Meath and 528 more spread across every other county in the country.
Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health said; “We are now in Level 5 because the disease is at very serious levels in our country and posing a significant risk to public health.
“We all need to stay at home, except for essential work and exceptional circumstances. If you are a confirmed case self isolate at home, if you are a close contact of a confirmed case restrict your movements at home, if you are experiencing symptoms or believe you are a close contact - restrict your movements and contact your GP.”
In this video @CMOIreland Dr Tony Holohan explains how to self-isolate - and why it is so important to self-isolate if you are at risk of passing on #COVID19 to others
#HoldFirm #InThisTogether #StayHome pic.twitter.com/lYBKBLJOS4— Department of Health (@roinnslainte) October 22, 2020
Dr. Heather Burns, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health said; “The 14-day incidence was at 3 per 100,000 at the end of June, today it is 302 per 100,000 population. The risk of you being exposed to COVID-19 is now 100 times greater than it was 4 months ago. Please limit your risk by staying at home and following public health advice.”
Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said “The reproduction number is 1.3 -1.4 nationally. Our collective goal now is to suppress transmission of the virus and bring our case numbers to manageable levels. If we work hard together to get the reproduction number to 0.5, we should succeed in reducing cases to below 100 a day in six weeks time.”
Dr Colm Henry, Chief Clinical Officer, HSE, said; “Based on our experience, widespread community transmission results in spread to vulnerable groups in congregated settings. The single most effective measure to protect vulnerable groups, including nursing homes, is to reduce community transmission significantly. Every one of us has a role to play to achieve this.”
*The number of cases confirmed in Waterford over the last fortnight according to the Department of Health and the Health Protection Surveillance Centre
