IRELAND IS outperforming all but a handful of countries in Europe when it comes to controlling the spread of Covid-19.
According to the World Health Organization, Ireland is one of only four countries on the continent to record a decrease in the seven-day coronavirus incidence rate compared to figures from last week.
The data released by the WHO shows the seven-day rate has decreased by 36% in Ireland.
By contrast, 24 other European nations have recorded a rise in the seven-day rate, with increases ranging from 2% to 59%.
Ireland is 20th out of 28 European countries in terms of the seven-day rate.
Only eight other countries have recorded a lower seven-day incidence of the virus.
Despite the positive data, there was a note of caution regarding the new figures, with incidence rates increasing among older cohorts just as they have declined among younger age groups.
According to the latest data, the incidence in the 75-84 age group has risen from 70 per 100,000 of population to 184 over the past few weeks.
Ireland did report an overall decline in case numbers, however, with the reproduction or ‘R’ number now standing at somewhere around one.
Hospital admissions and the numbers being taken into intensive care are also rising more slowly than in the period prior to Ireland’s lockdown.
As of today, 322 people with Covid-19 are being treated in Irish hospitals – an increase of just 10 on the previous day.
There were 32 new admissions in the past 24 hours with 26 people discharged.
There are 41 Covid-19 patients in intensive care, with 26 on ventilators.
That leaves 47 critical care beds available while there have been no Covid-19 related deaths among healthcare workers in Ireland since July.
Speaking at a press conference in the Department of Health, Professor Philip Nolan warned against complacency.
“This is the first time in three months that I’ve been able to report positive indications that we are starting to suppress transmission of the virus,” he said,
“When we achieve this sort of suppression, the important thing is to make it last."
