Covid-19 incidence in Monaghan town three times national average

Border areas record highest rates but prevalence of virus dropped 8% nationally in two weeks

Monaghan town and its environs has the highest incidence of Covid-19 in the country, according to the latest figures.

Monaghan local authority area (LEA), which includes most of north of the county nearest the Border, has a 14-day Covid-19 incidence rate of 1,255.8 per 100,000 of the population. This is more than three times the 14-day rate in the State at present.

There have been 285 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the area in the period between August 31st and September 13th, according to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC).

The adjoining local electoral area of Carrickmacross-Castleblayney has the second highest rate in the country with an incidence of 1,113.6 per 100,000.

READ MORE

Milford in north Donegal has the third highest rate at 1,074.7 cases per 100,000.

Ballybay-Clones in Co Monaghan, which had the highest rate in last week’s figures (from August 24th-September 6th), now has the fourth worst incidence at 1,014.2 per 100,000. Last week, it was 1,576 per 100,000. It has dropped by a third in the week since.

Carndonagh in north Donegal has seen its Covid numbers halve between one fortnight and another and now has a 14-day rate of 731 per 100,000. Last week, it was 1,427 per 100,000.

The highest incidences of the virus remain clustered around the Border with Manorhamilton in Co Leitrim having a rate per 100,000 of the population of 868.7.

Boyle in Co Roscommon has a rate of 755.8 per 100,000 and Bailieborough-Cootehill 749.5 per 100,000.

The 14-day rate nationally has decreased by 8 per cent in the last two-week period to 413.2 per 100,000.

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy is a news reporter with The Irish Times