Mullingar tops table for Covid infections in Westmeath

A drastic upsurge in cases has pushed Mullingar Electoral Area into the unenviable position of having the highest rate of Covid-19 infections in the county.

Updated figures showing the 14-day incidence of confirmed cases per 100,000, shows Mullingar to have a rate of 589.4 per 100,000, after a further 153 cases were identified here in the fortnight from October 13 to 26.

The national 14-day incidence rate is 292.1.

Second place on the table went to the Athlone Electoral area, which had 119 new cases identified in the fortnight to give it a 14-day incidence rate of 524.4 per 100,000.

Last night's figures show that there has been a slight drop in the 14-day rate of new cases reported in the Kinnegad electoral area.

There were 99 new cases in that area between October 13 and October 26, giving a rate per 100,000 of 456.8 down from the rate of 493.7 recorded between October 6 and October 19.

There were 69 new cases in the final electoral area of Westmeath, Moate.

This equates to a rate of 374.1 per 100,000 people, up from 216.9 in the previous fortnight.

All four areas are all displaying rates of new cases on a population basis well above the national average of 307.6 cases per 100,000 during that fortnight.

The figures are released each Thursday and compiled by Department of Health, the Ordnance Survey Ireland, the All-Island Research Observatory, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, the Health Service Executive, and the Central Statistics Office.

The full figures for all electoral areas in the country can be viewed here.