THE Department of Public Health has this evening urged the population in Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary to “strictly adhere to the new restrictions in order to save lives” after more than 2,500 COVID-19 cases were reported in the region over the past 14 days.
The Director of the mid west’s public health authority, Dr Mai Mannix, described the present situation in the region as “critical”.
The mid west region has has experienced a “record level surge” in COVID-19 cases with a 14-day incidence rate of more than 540 per 100,000 population, with the vast majority of cases were recorded in Limerick.
“This can be largely attributed to an intensified period of large social gatherings in the lead up to Christmas, followed by widespread household gatherings during the festive period.”
“I am appealing to everyone to restrict movements, stay at home, and significantly limit all social contacts as much as possible. We are now in the mitigation phase, and our focus is to not only prevent and control further cases and outbreaks, but also to prevent further COVID-related deaths in the community,” said Dr Mannix.
“We urgently need to reduce numbers of cases in the coming weeks, and in Level 5 restrictions, the best thing we can do is to stay home and hold firm, in order to protect ourselves and our vulnerable loved ones,” she said.
“The most effective way to approach this phase of the pandemic is to consider each and every one of us potentially infectious.”
Worryingly, Dr Mannix added: “We are at full capacity for COVID-19 tests“.
“We need to prioritise tests for those with symptoms. If you are a close contact, you must restrict your movements for 14 days. If you develop symptoms, self-isolate and phone your GP for advice.”
“We are also experiencing an influx of calls from the public who are looking for COVID-19 test results and wanting to change their appointments for swabbing.“
People who receive an test appointment via text message, can click on a link provided in the message, “where you can cancel or reschedule your appointment,” a spokesman for Public Health Mid West said.
“While we do recommend and refer people to testing when there are public health indications to do so, we do not have the responsibility for the logistics of the testing process,” they explained.
“You should receive a text message with your result within three days of your test. If you do not receive a result, you can request a call back from the HSE website at www.hse.i/covidresults”.
“We are extremely busy as we deal with a record number of cases, and we must endeavour to utilise our resources efficiently. We ask people to not contact our department in relation to changing appointments for swabbing and to follow the above process,” they said.
