Covid-19 in Ireland: Latest county-by-county incidence rates

Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday evening, epidemiologist Prof Philip Nolan said the rate at which the infection is spreading in Dublin is estimated at about 1.4.

“If nothing changes, if we do not act now to reduce our contacts and to be much more careful in how we manage our essential contacts the number of cases in Dublin would double every 14 days,” he said.

“There is a very clear call to action here.”

The 14-day national incidence of the disease now stands at 40.2 cases per 100,000 people.

Over the latest two-week period, there have been 1,913 cases – more than half of them in Dublin. The median age of cases is 32 and 70 per cent are under 45 years.

The infection rate in the capital is among the highest in the country, standing at 73.3 cases per 100,000 people over the past two weeks.

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However, the spread of the virus varies across Dublin. Data from the Health Protection and Surveillance Centre shows that different areas of the county have drastically different 14-day incidence rates.

Dublin South currently has the lowest incidence rate in the capital, with a rate of 36.7 reflecting the 50 recently confirmed cases in the area.

Nearby in Dublin South East, the incidence rate is more than double at 93.8.

The latest figures also suggest that older people are getting infected in greater numbers again as the disease begins to spread more widely.

Prof Nolan said that in the past 14 days there had been 89 cases recorded in people aged over 75.

He added: “That is close to a trebling compared with the preceding fortnight.”

Across the country, 196 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed on Thursday night by the National Public Health Emergency Team, with 27 cases in people aged over 65.