Summer ‘east-west divide’ marked by high Covid-19 rates in tourist areas

An "east-west divide" for Covid-19 infections developed in Ireland over the summer, with high case rates observed in popular tourist areas in the west, the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) has been told.

The apparent emergence of such a divide prompted public health officials to increase opportunities for testing in affected areas, according to newly published Nphet minutes. This included the establishment of walk-in test centres.

Nphet members were told it could be “some time” before Covid-19 becomes a seasonal virus, according to minutes of its meeting on July 27th.

Seasonality is based on a number of factors including behaviour, the environment, the reproductive (R) number and global levels of the virus, the meeting was told.

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“Therefore, it is difficult to assess when a pattern of seasonality can be expected to arise.”

Members cautioned that public health advice should take into account other circulating respiratory viruses which are more common in the winter months, and which might be expected to add to the burden on health and social care services through the autumn and winter.

Members also discussed research showing increasing fatigue among the public with public health messaging and how to “mitigate” this with a “refreshed” approach.

“Nphet was cognisant that there is a need to ensure clarity among the public with regard to the concept of ‘vaccine failure’ to counteract any misunderstanding or misinformation which may emerge as more people achieve ‘fully vaccinated’ status.”

The ability to rapidly pivot public health capacity in response to outbreaks and new variants will be “imperative”, the minutes state.

A weekly update from the HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre shows that a single outbreak in a nursing home led to 77 cases among residents and staff in the current wave of the pandemic.

However, the number of nursing-home outbreaks fell last week to five, from 11 the previous week, and involved a total of 66 cases.

A further 1,751 infections

Overall, the number of virus outbreaks recorded fell for a 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; hospital outbreaks increased from four to nine and outbreaks in disability centres were up from four to eight.

A further 1,751 infections were reported in the State on Thursday. The latest figures show 343 people are hospitalised with the disease, of whom 59 are in intensive care.

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

Northern Ireland’s Department of Health on Thursday reported 12 deaths of those who had tested positive and a further 793 cases. There were 417 patients being treated for the disease in hospital on Thursday, including 46 in intensive care.