Coronavirus: Cavan ranks highest for incidence per 100,000 people

More than 1 per cent of the population of Co Cavan has contracted Covid-19, new figures show.

The incidence of the disease in the county, the highest in the State, has reached 1,004.3 per 100,000 population.

Dublin has the next highest incidence (834.4), followed by Monaghan (746.1) and Westmeath (726.6), according to the latest epidemiological reports from the HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre.

With Louth and Longford also having relatively high incidences of the disease, it remains the case that counties in the north-east have the highest levels of Covid-19.

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Coronavirus: Number of deaths in State exceeds 1,500 mark

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Possible reasons for the trend include a spillover across the Border – although this has been discounted by officials – and a high number of cases in nursing homes and other residential settings.

A number of meat factories hit by outbreaks of coronavirus are also in these counties.

The incidence of the disease is generally lowest in the south and west, with Waterford recording just 124 confirmed case per 100,000 population.

Over-85-year-olds account for 43.9 per cent of deaths but only 14.6 per cent of those hospitalised and 1.5 per cent of cases admitted to intensive care, according to the report.

The 75-84 age group accounts for 34.3 per cent of deaths, 22.8 per cent of those hospitalised and 10.3 per cent of cases admitted to intensive care.

The report records 766 clusters of the disease, including 245 in nursing homes, 151 in residential institutions and 144 in private houses.

Meanwhile, the last HSE operational report says 62 confirmed Covid-19 patients were in critical care on Wednesday evening, with another 18 suspected cases. There were no new admissions of people with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 in the preceding 24 hours.

Some 43 confirmed cases are on a ventilator – plus another six suspected cases.

With 268 critical care beds occupied by patients generally, there are currently 146 available beds for critically ill patients.

Some 449 Covid-19 patients are in hospital, including nine new cases over the previous 24 hours, and 281 suspected cases are also being treated.