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The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has been informed of 126 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland. There are now 683 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.

The HSE is now working rapidly to identify any contacts the patients may have had, to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread.

The latest data from HPSC, as of midnight Wednesday18th March (438 cases), reveals; Of the 438 cases notified, 55% are male and 43% are female, with 27 clusters involving 142 cases • Median age of confirmed cases is 44 •32% of cases have been hospitalised •2.7% (12 cases) admitted to ICU – representing 8.6% of all cases hospitalised •114 cases are associated with Healthcare workers, 36 of whom are associated with foreign travel •Dublin has the highest number of cases at 51%, followed by Cork 15% and Limerick and Wicklow have 3% of cases each Of those for whom transmission status is known, community transmission accounts for 40%, local transmission/ close contact accounts for 21%, travel abroad accounts for 39%; 96 cases remain under investigation.

Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer in the Department of Health, said: “Now is not the time for complacency.

Every citizen who is practicing social distancing, who is taking precautions to limit the spread of this virus, is doing their country a service.

“The Department of Health has issued outdoor social distancing guidelines for everyone to follow. While we encourage people to exercise outside and maintain a healthy lifestyle, social distancing measures will continue to be paramount.”

Dr Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said: “We are aware that the actions we must take as a nation can lead to individuals feeling isolated and anxious.

Be mindful of your mental health during this time, try to keep to a routine, maintain a healthy, balanced diet, and remember social distancing doesn’t have to mean social isolation – stay in touch with family and friends, use technology to stay connected.

There are resources to help you mind your mental health on HSE.ie.” Dr. Breda Smyth, Director of Public Health Medicine, HSE said; “One in four cases relate to healthcare workers.

We must reinforce the importance of appropriate personal protection measures in hospitals.

A healthcare workers sub-group, established under NPHET, will continue to support frontline healthcare workers.” Hospitalised cases by age group < 5 1 1% 5 – 14 2 2% 15 – 24 9 8% 25 – 34 16 15% 35 – 44 15 14% 45 – 54 11 10% 55 – 64 23 21% 65+ 31 29% Total 108 Source: HPSC 18/3/2020 Counties % of Total Carlow <=5 1% Cavan <=5 0% Clare 7 2% Cork 66 15% Donegal <=5 1% Dublin 225 51% Galway 14 3% Kerry 7 2% Kildare 9 2% Kilkenny 7 2% Laois <=5 1% Leitrim <=5 0% Limerick 15 3% Longford <=5 0% Louth 8 2% Mayo <=5 0% Meath 11 3% Offaly <=5 1% Roscommon <=5 0% Sligo <=5 1% Tipperary <=5 1% Waterford 7 2% Westmeath 12 3% Wexford <=5 0% Wicklow 15 3% Source: HPSC 18/3/2020 Cluster type Travel 11 Hospital 5 Nursing Home 3 Private house 3 Extended family 2 Workplace 2 Under investigation 1 Total 27

Source: HPSC 18/3/2020

Despite that the Italians Authorities have declared that all citizens should stay indoors so as they find a solution to uproot the coronavirus yet! A man has authoritatively told Italian Authorities that he isn’t ready to be quarantined or made to stay indoors because his wife problem is bigger than Coronavirus.

The man has say’s he is not ready to stay indoor, that he prefers to come into contact with the virus than staying at home with his wife.

Nearly 3000 people have now died from coronavirus in Italy.

Stop thinking that a wife has charmed her husband just because she has a lot of influence over him.

When a wife gives her husband good love, good food, a good home & good company, he will give her influence over him because she deserves totally that.

Just massage your husband’s body. Then massage his ego. Then massage his self esteem. By the time you are done you will get the message you seek.

Stoop to conquer

Reno Omokri

Its like someone has committed a sacrilege
Breathing unto the world adulterated carbon dioxide
Polluting the world available oxygen
A pandemic all over the world

Who annoyed gods or God of gods?
In this world garden of blacks,reds,yellows, whites e.t.c
The world chief chef tried a bad fries?
So wicked to the nose, irritating to the lung was its omen

So irritating, not humane
Everyone griefs within and without
The painful venom and the fear of insecurity against this virus
The unabated sneeze and cough symptoms

From abroad to home Africa it arrived by free ticket
Like a welcome gift slowly and fearfully infecting our land
So deadly, cutting world population to size speedily
COVID 19, Virus with a rapture – like venom

Americans seek God’s face over Covid 9, Coronavirus.

US soldiers, Police and citizens kneeling down to pray to God to heal America and the rest of the world.

This happened on the National praying Day declared by President Trump as America seeks the face of God.
15/03/2020.

May the Lord hear their prayers, Amen.

Coronavirus Info and Support

What should I do if I feel sick?

The main symptoms of the virus can take up to 14 days to appear, and include a cough, fever (high temperature) or chills, shortness of breath or breathing difficulties. If you feel like this, do not go to your local doctor/GP, pharmacy or hospital. Instead, you need to stay at home, avoid contacts with others, and ring your doctor. They’ll assess you over the phone, and if needed, will arrange for you to be tested for the virus. Don’t ring 112/999 unless it’s an absolute emergency, as we need to keep those lines as free as possible.
Keep in mind that most people with coronavirus will only have mild symptoms & will get well within weeks. The biggest danger is in spreading the virus to others, especially older & more vulnerable people. You’ll need to self-isolate, which mainly means staying at home, washing your hands properly, avoiding others. The HSE have the best info on how to do it here: https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/self-isolation-and-limited-social-interaction.html#self-isolate

SOCIAL WELFARE & SUPPORT

If you lose your job, there’s a new & quick unemployment support
There’s a new, special Coronavirus unemployment payment available from today, for employees and the self-employed who have lost work. It’s a payment of €203 per week for up to six weeks.
To get this, you do not need to go to a social welfare office. You just need to fill in a short, one-page form and send it free of charge to FREEPOST PO BOX 12896 Dublin 1. If you have trouble accessing a printer, you can ring 01 2481398 and they will post the form to you. The form, and a short guide to fill it in, is here: https://assets.gov.ie/71477/5df3b7f1f0fc454faefd8f906100ff99.pdf

This payment lasts six weeks, so longer term you will need to apply to go on proper Jobseekers allowance. You have more time to get this sorted, and it’s very similar: you download a form to fill out and send it freepost, depending on whether you’ve been laid off, are self employed or have reduced hours. These forms are available here: http://www.gov.ie/jobseekers

I’m an employer with staff, what can I do?

If you’ve had to close or reduce people’s hours, the Govt can give support to help you keep paying your workers. A fund is being set up to refund you €203 per worker per week. If you maintain payment, workers can retain their link with employers and they don’t need to personally apply for jobseekers. These refunds will take time to process, but the State will pay them as soon as possible. Details here: https://www.gov.ie/en/news/965011-covid-19-introduction-of-simplified-unemployment-payments-for-employ/

If you’re sick, stay at home & you can get sick pay

There’s a new illness benefit scheme that waives the normal waiting period and pays a bit more at the start. If you’re told to stay at home by your Doctor, or have been diagnosed with Coronavirus, you can receive payment as long as you’re no longer being paid by your employer. You can get €305 for two weeks, and then the normal illness benefit of €203 per week.

Once you’ve been instructed by your Doctor to self-isolate, they will complete a medical cert for you including your name, PPS No. and date of birth. They will then ask you to complete an illness benefit form (Form IB 1) yourself, which they can give you. Alternatively, you can call 01 2481398 for it to be posted to you, or ask a friend can collect at your doctor’s surgery or Intreo centre. Details available here: https://www.gov.ie/en/service/df55ae-how-to-apply-for-illness-benefit-for-covid-19-absences/

My hours have been reduced. Can I make up lost income?

Yes. If you’ve gone from full time to a 3-day week or less, you can apply for short-term income support to make up some of the difference. To apply, you’ll need to fill out a form yourself (UP1) and so will your employer (UP14). Both forms & info on the scheme are available here: https://www.gov.ie/en/service/c20e1b-short-time-work-support/

Can someone else collect my pension or other payments for me?

Yes. An Post has announced new arrangements where you can nominate someone to collect payment for you. They will need to show your payment Card, as well as their own photo ID (like a drivers license). They can get a form at the post office to complete giving them permission to collect for you, or download the form at the bottom of the page here: https://www.anpost.com/Media-Centre/News/Special-arrangements-in-place-for-DEASP-customers

I’m abroad, what can I do?

The Department of Foreign Affairs is providing all the key advice here (https://dfa.ie/travel/travel-advice/coronavirus/). Any Irish citizens abroad experiencing difficult with cancelled flights etc. can call a dedicated helpline on +353(0)16131733. It’s much better to ring this number first rather than a local Embassy, who are being swamped with calls. The DFA are making arrangements with airlines to try help people home quicker. You can also speak with them live online here: http://www.dfa.ie/travel/contact/

We need to stay at home, but also mind our mental health
In general, we should all be keeping our distance from others, and staying at home for everything that’s non-essential. This is vital to stopping the virus spreading fast & putting the hospitals under too much pressure.
However, we also need to mind our mental health. It’s a really good idea to get out, go for a walk, kick a ball, get some fresh air and stay active. You can walk in a local park and still maintain a safe 2m distance from other people. Some good mental health advice here: http://www.yourmentalhealth.ie

Where can I get reliable information?

We’re in a quickly changing environment and lots of false and misleading info is being spread on whatsapp and social media. The best & most reliable place for all the information you need, including hygiene tips, updates on steps taken (like closing schools and pubs) is http://www.hse.ie/coronavirus. It’s also a good idea to follow @CMOIreland, @ronan_glynn, @MerrionStreet, @roinnslainte & @HSELive on social media channels for regular updates on steps taken.