Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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505. To ask the Minister for Health if the high Covid-19 figures in counties Cavan and Monaghan are being investigated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10700/20]

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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506. To ask the Minister for Health the reason Covid-19 figures are so high in counties Cavan and Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10701/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 505 and 506 together.

I am advised by the Health Service Executive that since the start of the pandemic and up to 4 June 2020, there were 858 confirmed cases of COVID-19 notified in Cavan and 528 confirmed cases of COVID-19 notified in Monaghan. Of these, 47.6% were linked to outbreaks in Cavan and 67.2% linked to outbreaks in Monaghan. A similar pattern has been identified in the period of 1 May to 4 June although the numbers of confirmed cases have declined significantly.

The Health Service Executive have observed that a higher proportion of cases in both Cavan and Monaghan are linked to outbreaks compared with national data. Outbreaks have occurred in a variety of settings including nursing homes, acute hospitals, private homes and workplaces, including meat/poultry factories and mushroom farms. Regional multi-disciplinary outbreak control teams are investigating and managing these outbreaks.

Although the incidence of COVID-19 cases appears high in Cavan and Monaghan, this needs to be interpreted with caution as incidence rates are sensitive to small changes in case numbers due to the relatively small populations in these counties.