Covid-19 related deaths hit five-month high in August

The Department of Health has reported 1,751 new cases of Covid-19. The number of patients with Covid-19 being treated in hospital is 343, of whom 59 are in intensive care (ICU).

Covid-19 was linked to 52 deaths in August, the highest monthly total since April.

Ten Covid-19 deaths were recorded last week, with an average age of 77 years, according to the Health Service Executive (HSE).

Since the start of the pandemic, 5,112 Covid-19 deaths have occurred, with 87 per cent of cases having underlying conditions.

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Total of 18 deaths from Covid-19 recorded in the State last week

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The total includes 18 healthcare workers and seven deaths among under 25-year-olds. The average age of those who died was 81 years.

The Department of Health said that, after the validation of data, the cumulative number of Covid-19 cases reported between May 15th, just after the HSE cyberattack, and the end of August had decreased by some 1,700 (1.7 per cent)

Monaghan is the worst affected county, with a mortality rate of 160 per 100,000 people. Sligo had the lowest mortality rate, at 41, according to the latest HSE weekly report on deaths.

Some 2,083 deaths were linked to outbreaks in nursing homes, and 783 to outbreaks in hospitals.

Meanwhile, a single outbreak of Covid-19 in a nursing home led to 77 cases among residents and staff in the current wave of the pandemic, according to a separate HSE update.

However, the number of nursing home outbreaks fell last week to five, from 11 the previous week, and involved a total of 66 cases, the weekly report from the HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) shows.

Overall, the number of Covid-19 outbreaks recorded last week fell for the second consecutive week, from 126 to 100.

An outbreak or cluster involves two or more linked confirmed cases.

The number of workplace outbreaks increased from 23 to 27, and included two outbreaks in meat processing, two in other food production, five in construction and 17 in “other” locations.

There was a jump in hospital outbreaks, from four to nine, with a total of 53 related cases reported last week. Outbreaks in disability centres doubled, to eight.

Among vulnerable groups, there were seven outbreaks in the Traveller community, down from nine the previous week.

Two outbreaks were linked to travel and, specifically, flights.

Two further outbreaks in community hospital/long-term care facilities were reported.

In workplaces, Childcare outbreaks were also slightly down, from 15 to 14, with a total of 56 cases reported. With the education sector largely closed, there were no outbreaks recorded in schools or third-level colleges.

Of four travel-related outbreaks, three were linked to flights and one to a ferry journey.

Other outbreaks were linked to retail (five), hotels (eight), restaurants/cafes (10) and pubs (three).

Since the start of the current wave, there have been 1,205 outbreaks with a total of 4,640 confirmed cases, according to the HPSC.

In the North,meanwhile, 12 further deaths of patients who had tested positive for Covid-19 were reported on Thursday.

The Department of Health said there had also been 793 new confirmed cases in the last 24-hour reporting period.

On Thursday morning there were 417 Covid-positive patients in hospital, with 46 in intensive care.