Three coronavirus cases in Westmeath in seven days

Three additional Covid-19 cases have been diagnosed in Westmeath in the last week – part of a new national trend which has concerned public health officials.

The public were notified of the cases between Thursday July 23 and yesterday, Thursday July 30. To put the figures in context, only four cases were diagnosed in Westmeath in the whole of the month of June.

Yesterday, the Acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronan Glynn, announced that his office had been informed of 85 new cases of the coronavirus. A county breakdown of these figures will be available in the coming days.

“Today’s figures demonstrate how quickly Covid-19 can re-emerge in our country,” Dr Glynn stated.

“We are now at a crucial point in our response to Covid-19. Over the coming days it is vital that everyone continues to avoid large crowds, physically distance, wear face coverings where appropriate and wash hands regularly.”

The Acting CMO voiced his concern that people “have forgotten the basic advice about physical distancing”, and warned that what could be a “blip” could turn into “something more significant”.

Professor Philip Nolan, chairman of the National Public Health Emergency Team’s modelling group, also called on the public to maintain vigilance.

“Over a two-day period Ireland moved from a relatively stable epidemiology to a significant pattern connected to outbreaks. We now need to be really careful and adhere to public health advice so we do not further spread the virus,” he said.

A total of 679 cases of Covid-19 have been diagnosed in Westmeath since the disease first emerged here in mid-March.