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Coronavirus: 63 further deaths and 3,569 new cases – 45 of them in Laois – as health Minister sets vaccine targets

There have been a further63 Coronavirus-related deaths and 3,569 new cases, according to figures released by the health authorities today.

5 of these deaths occurred in November 2020, 1 of these deaths occurred in December 2020, and the remaining 56 occurred in January 2021. The date of death for one reported death remains under investigation.

45 of the new cases are in Laois, meaning the county’s 14-day incidence rate goes to 941, up from 913.8 yesterday. The national 14-day rate now stands at 1,448.

There are now 797 confirmed active cases in the county, again a record high.

Of the cases notified today:

  • 1,616 are men / 1,924 are women
  • 54% are under 45 years of age
  • The median age is 42 years old
  • 1,119 are in Dublin, 416 in Cork, 200 in Galway, 182 in Louth, 169 in Waterford, and the remaining 1,483 cases are spread across all other counties.

As of 2pm today, 1,770 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 172 are in ICU. 133 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.

Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health said: “We are seeing some early signs of progress with daily cases numbers and positivity rates. We can take some hope in them, but we have a long, long way to go. In the coming weeks ahead, we will need to draw upon our reserves of resilience from springtime as we can expect to see hospitalisations, admissions to ICU and mortality related to COVID-19 increase day on day.”

“The best way that we can all support one another now is to stay apart. Sadly, what we are seeing now is a result of the very high daily confirmed case numbers we experienced for successive weeks. To ensure our hospitals and loved ones remain protected, and stay alive to receive the vaccine, please continue to follow public health advice and stay home.”

“At this challenging time, it is important to remind those that need acute care that hospitals are there for those that need them. No one should ignore any worrying signs they may need medical attention, such as lumps, chest pain or other new symptoms. Phone your GP if you have any concerns, not just those related to COVID-19.”

New Cases in Laois

  • January 12 – 45
  • January 11 – 40
  • January 10 – 63
  • January 9 – 105
  • January 8 – 6
  • January 7 – 55
  • January 6 – 82
  • January 5 – 107
  • January 4 – 12
  • January 3 – 80
  • January 2 – 40
  • January 1 – 104
  • December 31 – 12
  • December 30 – 50
  • December 29 – 23

14-day case rate in Laois per 100,000 population

  • January 12 – 941
  • January 11 – 913.8
  • January 10 – 911.5
  • January 9 – 843
  • January 8 – 722.6
  • January 7 – 742.6
  • January 6 – 689.5
  • January 5 – 606.9
  • January 4 – 493.5
  • January 3 – 494.7
  • January 2 – 406.2
  • January 1 – 381.4
  • December 31 – 271.6
  • December 30 – 269.2

New cases in Laois during past 14 days

    • January 12 – 797
    • January 11 – 774
    • January 10 – 772
    • January 9 – 714
    • January 8 – 612
    • January 7 – 629
    • January 6 – 584
    • January 5 – 514
    • January 4 – 418
    • January 3 – 419
    • January 2 – 344
    • January 1 – 323
    • December 31 – 230
    • December 30 – 228

Minister sets out vaccine plan

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly told the Dáil today that it is planned to vaccinate 700,000 people by the end of March this year.

1,500,000 should be vaccinated by the end of June with more to follow again by the end of September.

This would vaccinate the top three groups on the prioritisation list – those in long-term residential care (staff and residents), frontline healthcare workers, and those aged over 70.

However, he stressed that these plans are not guaranteed and are dependent on vaccine supplies and delivery schedules.

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