Laytown/Bettystown Covid rate second highest in the country

The Laytown/Bettystown area has the second highest 14 day incidence rate of Covid-19 in the country, with 2,198 cases per 100,000 of population in the two weeks up to Monday of this week.

The Meath coastal area is second only to neighbouring Drogheda Urban which reported a rate of 22,346 per 100,000 over the same period. The national average was 1.268.

Meath has the ninth highest rate in the country at 1,357 per 100,000.

There were very high rates across the county with Ashbourne at 1,684.9, Ratoath at 1,572.7, Kells 1,549.5, Trim 1,317.5 and Navan 1,170.9,

Meanwhile, public health officials have confirmed 4,764 new cases of Covid-19 in Ireland today.

As of 8am today, 598 hospital patients have Covid-19, including 126 who are in ICU.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) said yesterday that there had been 43 deaths notified to them in the past week, bringing Ireland’s total to 5,652.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said that the “incidence of Covid-19 remains concerningly high, with 62,401 cases reported in the last 14 days”.