Buncrana records Covid-19 incidence rate seven times the national average

Buncrana in Co Donegal has recently recorded a rate of Covid-19 seven times the national average, according to official figures released on Thursday.

The area has the highest 14-day incidence rate of Covid-19 in the State at 880 new cases per 100,000 population, according to official figures released on Thursday. The average rate in the State was 121 per 100,000 population.

According to the figures, Co Donegal had areas with three of the top five highest incidence rates in the State, the others being Carndonagh, which recorded 624.9 new cases per 100,000, and Letterkenny, at 369 per 100,000.

Extreme concern has been raised by local medics in recent days about the increasing rates of coronavirus in Buncrana, with suggestions this rise may be propelled by the growing incidence of the Delta variant. An additional walk-in test centre was opened in the town by the HSE earlier this week.

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In the data, which dates back to Monday, Dungarvan in Co Waterford was the area with the second-highest Covid-19 incidence rate, at 770 new cases per 100,000. Limerick city north, meanwhile, had the fourth highest rate at 389 per 100,000. The rates of coronavirus in Limerick have raised concern among public health officials in recent weeks.

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Dublin rates

Three local electoral areas in the northwest of Dublin had very high incidence rates in the latest figures, with Ongar (335 per 100,000), Blanchardstown (322) and Castleknock (307) among the districts with the highest rates. High rates were also recorded in Ballymote-Tobercurry, Co Sligo (262), and Roscommon (255).

Fourteen local electoral areas had rates of less than five new cases of Covid-19 per 100,000. Most of these are primarily rural areas, with none in the major cities. There are three districts in Co Tipperary (Roscrea-Templemore, Carrick-on-Suir and Cahir), three in Co Kerry (Castleisland, Tralee and the Dingle Peninsula), two in Co Mayo (Westport and Belmullet), two in Co Leitrim (Ballinamore and Carrick-on-Shannon), two in Co Carlow (Carlow and Muinebeag) and one each in Co Longford (Granard) and Co Cork (Bantry-West Cork) which fall into this category.

None of the electoral areas in Co Dublin featured among the areas with the 50 lowest incidence rates. Balbriggan fared best at 52 per 100,000, followed by Rush-Lusk at 63 per 100,000 and Killiney-Shankill at 73.5 per 100,000.