The HSE MidWest’s Director of Public Health is warning that there are several months left in the fight against COVID-19.
On the one-year anniversary of the first cases in Clare, Dr Mai Mannix is issuing a fresh appeal to people not to let their guard down, but says there are signs of optimisim in that the vaccine is having an impact in reducing the number of cases in this region.
It’s one year today since the first four cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in Clare.
Since then, more than 4,600 cases of the virus have been confirmed in this county and at least 98 people here are known to have died after contracting the disease.
The anniversary has prompted health officials to issue a fresh appeal for people to stay the course, and to minimise our numbers of contacts, but this message comes after the widely condemned videos of a a street party near the University Of Limerick on Tuesday night.
While Dr. Mai Mannix says this can’t be condoned, she’s also warned that there are still a number of outbreaks connected with other issues such as household mixing, as well as a rise in cases connected with funerals.
She says it was “soul-destroying” to see the high number of outbreaks in nursing homes and resultant deaths in recent months, but she insists the vaccine is now having a positive impact.
The Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Killaloe and his family were among the many in this county to suffer the loss of a loved one due to the virus.
Bishop Willie Walsh’s brother John, who was in his 80s, died after contracting the virus in a nursing home.
Bishop Willie is hopeful that once the “new normal” returns, people will have reflected on their lives and values and will come out of the pandemic having gained a better perspective.
But he says losing his brother to the virus was both strange and difficult.
Over the past year communities across the county have come together to support each other through the pandemic.
While Clare County Council also stepped in to bring various volunteers under the one umbrella by forming the Covid-19 Clare Community Support Response Forum.
One of those involved, Sharon Meaney from the Clare Volunteer Centre says hundreds of people from right Clare answered the call and created a real connection within their communities over the past twelve months.
She hopes that will endure after COVID has left, and says there’s still a need for people to get on board.
