Tullamore’s Covid-19 rate is more than three times the national average

Tullamore in Co Offaly is continuing to report the highest incidence rate of Covid-19 in the country, with the town's incidence rate more than three times the national average, according to the latest figures.

Local electoral area data published on Thursday evening reveals that there were 119 new cases of the virus reported in the midlands town in the fortnight leading up to April 12th. The town, which has a population of 29,159, thus reported a 14-day incidence rate for the disease of 408 cases per 100,000 of population.

Tullamore’s Covid-19 rate has dropped from the 672.2 cases per 100,000 figure it reported on April 8th, but remains far higher than the national incidence rate, which was recorded as 131.7 cases per 100,000 on April 12th. This national average has since dropped to 123 per 100,000.

The latest figures released by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre detail the 14-day incidence rate of Covid-19 up to April 12th in each of the State’s 166 local electoral areas. Such data is published on the Government’s Covid-19 Data Hub every Thursday.

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The local electoral area of Ongar in west Dublin recorded the second-highest incidence rate in the country at 393.5 cases per 100,000, with 141 cases of the virus reported in the two weeks leading up to April 12th. Ongar has a population of 35,834.

Ongar is located next to Mulhuddart, where a Covid-19 walk-in test centre opened on April 10th and will continue to offer free tests until this Saturday, April 17th.

The local electoral area of Milford in Co Donegal, which has a population of 13,771 people, recorded the third-highest incidence rate in the country in the two-week period, with 363 cases per 100,000.

The other local electoral areas which had more than 300 cases per 100,000 of population in the fortnight leading up to April 12th were Ballymun-Finglas (358.1); Donaghmede (339); Cavan-Belturbet (335.1); Swords (334.8); Kildare (334.6); the North Inner City in Dublin (320.7) and Newbridge (318.5).

Low case numbers

Some 18 electoral areas recorded fewer than five Covid-19 cases during the same time period. These included Kenmare and Corca Dhuibhne in Co Kerry, Ennistymon in Co Clare, Bantry in west Co Cork, Lismore and Dungarvan in Co Waterford, Newport in Co Tipperary and Granard in Co Longford. Parts of Carlow, Galway, Kilkenny, Sligo, Mayo and Leitrim also recorded very low case numbers.

Other areas with low rates included Skibbereen in Co Cork (19.8 cases per 100,000); Castlecomer in Co Kilkenny (21.2 per 100,000); Bandon-Kinsale in Co Cork (21.5 per 100,000) and Loughrea in Co Galway (21.5 per 100,000).

A further eight deaths of Covid-19 patients were reported by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) on Thursday, April 15th. This brings to 4,820 the total number of deaths in the State from the pandemic.

Nphet also reported 309 new confirmed cases of the disease, bringing to 242,402 the total number of confirmed cases in the Republic.

Of the new cases, 107 are in Dublin, 30 in Kildare, 14 in Offaly, 21 in Meath and 14 in Limerick, with the remaining cases spread across 18 other counties.

Offaly has the highest county incidence of Covid-19, followed by Kildare. Sligo has the lowest county incidence.