Warning for Dubliners as Covid cases on the rise here

Health officals are concerned about the rise in coronavirus cases in Dublin over the past two weeks.

In that time 45% of all Covid-19 cases have been in the capital and health officials say it’s mainly due to household outbreaks.

Acting CMO Dr Ronan Glynn had advice for Dubliners as he connected the rise to “lots and lots of small family clusters.”

He appealed to people in Dublin to “take particular care”, reduce their social contacts over the coming days and seek medical attention immediately if they experience symptoms.

Dublin’s 14-day incidence is 53 per 100,000 population, compared to 33 for the country overall.

The Chair of the Modelling Advisory Group Professor Philip Nolan says older people are dramatically more likely to end up in hospital if they contract Covid-19.

He says everyone needs to act in a way that protects the lives of the vulnerable:

“It will get into households and it will spread in households, that’s hard to avoid

“The fundamental thing that we need to do in Dublin is make sure it doesn’t transmit between households

“That’s why we have to be exceptionally careful when people are gathering in our home,”  he said.