A further 13 COVID-19 patients have died in the Republic of Ireland, bringing the total to 98.
Meanwhile, there are now 3,849 confirmed cases of the virus here, after 402 more people were diagnosed.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan made the announcement after returning to work this morning.
He was admitted to St James’s Hospital for tests unrelated to the virus on Tuesday night.
He noted that, while in hospital, he observed a number of empty waiting rooms and beds and said anyone experiencing medical issues that are not connected to the virus should not be afraid to seek medical help.
CMO Dr. Tony Holohan says while in hospital Tuesday night he noticed empty waiting rooms and beds. While #COVIDー19 is a priority, he says no one should ignore medical warning signs like lumps, chest pain etc. Don’t ignore symptoms. Hospitals there for all ailments.
— Shane Beatty (@ShaneBeattyNews) April 2, 2020
“I would also like to highlight a worrying scene I witnessed during my visit to hospital on Tuesday evening – empty waiting rooms and empty beds,” he said.
“While protecting yourself from COVID-19 is a priority, no one should ignore signs that they may need medical attention for other ailments such as lumps, chest pain or other concerns.
“Please do not ignore any symptom outside of COVID-19. The hospitals are there for all ailments, not just COVID-19.”
BREAKING: Sadly a further 13 people have died from #Covid19 in the Republic. A further 402 cases confirmed too. It brings the death toll to 98 while the number of confirmed cases now stands at 3,849
— Shane Beatty (@ShaneBeattyNews) April 2, 2020
He said there were nine men and four women among the 14 patients who died overnight.
Nine of them were based in the east of the country, with three in the west and one in the south.
Ten had underlying health conditions.
The median age of patients who have died since the outbreak began is still 82, while the median age of patients diagnosed with the virus is still 48.
Meanwhile, he suggested that the COVID-19 restrictions remain in place quite a while longer than the current deadline of April 12th.
He said the measures had flattened the coronavirus curve here “but we need to flatten it further.”
He said the full impact of the current won’t be known until next week.
Number of clusters/outbreaks COVID-19 by location and HSE-area as of 30/03/2020 in Ireland. The majority of clusters and outbreaks are associated with private homes, nursing homes, travel or hospitals. https://t.co/oJMNO6cJ8h pic.twitter.com/8pNJacVn1A
— HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) (@hpscireland) April 2, 2020
Dr Holohan said 148 patients, with a median age of 62, have now been admitted to intensive care with the virus.
Fourteen of those have sadly died while 25 have since been discharged.
Some 109 people remain in Intensive Care Units battling the virus.
Meanwhile a total of 932 people have received hospital care for the virus.
Age-specific incidence rates of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland. The majority of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ireland are in adults aged over 25. https://t.co/oJMNO6cJ8h pic.twitter.com/PG9BeIHvLV
— HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) (@hpscireland) April 2, 2020
There are now 160 COVID-19 clusters around the country, made up of 659 cases.
More than half are women and more than a quarter are healthcare workers.
Some 56% of the country’s cases are in Dublin – with 8% in Cork.
Meanwhile, where officials have been able to trace how the virus was transmitted, 60% of patients picked it up in the community in Ireland, 23% picked it up from another confirmed case and 17% picked it up travelling abroad.
