Advertisement
One Thousand Irish Healthcare...

News & Sport

One Thousand Irish Healthcare Workers Test Positive For Covid-19

Newsroom
Newsroom

12:29 4 Apr 2020


Share this article


Almost a thousand healthcare workers in the Republic have now tested positive for Covid-19.

New HSE figures also show 148 people are being treated in intensive care units -- most of them are under 65.

There are now over 4,200 cases of coronavirus here and 120 people have died.

We now have a more detailed picture of the coronavirus outbreak here after the Department of Health released new data this morning.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan, says healthcare staff now account for a quarter of cases, but believes just six per cent picked it up at work.

"For that 25%, only about a quarter of them have picked up that infection we think in the course of work," he said. "About 50 per cent of them it's community transmission that explains it -- there isn't an associated link that's associated with their healthcare environment, and another 25 per cent it's associated with travel."

It's also been confirmed that there are 40 clusters of Covid 19 cases in nursing homes across the country

Professor Mary Horgan, a consultant in Infectious Diseases at Cork University Hospital, says it's important more is done to protect residents there.

"It's very challenging, this happens with many many infections and we just need to up the education and compliance with those important protection measures," she said.

The government's expected to announce new measures later aimed at tackling the outbreaks.


Share this article


Read more about

Covid-19 Nurses Tony Holohan