50% of people with symptoms of Covid-19 are waiting up to three days contact a GP.
75 additional deaths were confirmed last evening with 1,318 new cases, 46 in Carlow and 16 in Kilkenny.
The number of people with the virus in public hospitals fell to 1,239 last night, the lowest level since January 8th.
University Hospital Waterford still has the highest number at 101 after seven admissions in a 24 hour period, eight are in intensive care with four others suspected of having Coronavirus.
St Luke’s General for Carlow and Kilkenny was treating 24 people last night, three of them in ICU, with six others showing symptoms.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronan Glynn, says he has noticed a clear pattern recently, saying “One in two people are taking three days or longer to come forward from the time at which they first experience the symptoms to the point at which they get their swab and we know the time from referral for a swab to actually getting their swab is, in general, less than a day so it suggests one in two people are spending at least a day at home or in their work place wondering about whether to come forward and of course that’s more than enough time for this virus to spread”.
Doctors say it’s possible for people to have two separate bouts of Covid-19.
Researchers have examined a man who was infected four months apart, following reports of patients getting the virus more than once.
They say severe infection the first time around may be followed by milder symptoms the second time.
Professor Andrew Goddard is the President of the Royal College of Physicians in the UK, he says Covid-19 isn’t going away quickly.
While Professor Philip Nolan, who chairs NPHET’s modelling group, says the country is still on course to be down to 200 to 400 cases a day by the end of the month.
He insists there’s been a strong decline in the rate of the virus recently.
Local Electoral Areas
All three local electoral areas in Co Monaghan are among the six highest in the country for Covid-19 incidence rates.
Carrickmacross-Castleblayney LEA had the worst 14-day rate between January 19th and February 1st, at 1,096 cases per 100,000 people.
Monaghan LEA was the third highest in the country, at 1,079, and Ballybay-Clones was the sixth, at 916.
Locally, of the seven electoral areas in the two counties Carlow Town LEA has the highest rate, at 834.4 for the time period. Followed by Tullow (520.1), Piltown (417), Bagenalstown (358.3), Callan / Thomastown (264.2), Castlecomer (229) with Kilkenny City showing the lowest at 200.3.
Vaccine
Johnson and Johnson has asked the US to authorise its single-dose Covid-19 vaccine.
Trial results show the vaccine is 66% effective, but that jumps to 85% when it comes to stopping more serious symptoms, meaning fewer people would need hospital treatment.
The company says it will apply for European approval in the coming weeks.
