Galway reaches grim milestone on Covid anniversary

Galway’s Covid-19 death-toll has passed 100, and the cumulative total of confirmed cases of the virus in the city and county is nearing 10,000.

And on the anniversary of Galway’s first confirmed case of the disease, in Kinvara, public health experts have warned of a possible ‘fourth wave’ if lockdown restrictions are eased too soon.

Dr Breda Smyth, HSE West Director of Public Health, said that the vaccine roll-out gives her great hope that the end of the pandemic is in sight – but she insisted that lockdown restrictions should be lifted slowly.

“We are seeing the effectiveness of the vaccine and this gives us a very positive outlook with regards to the next twelve months. Notwithstanding that, we will have to adhere to restrictions and be very cautious with our exit from restrictions and our exit and entrance back to normality.

“We’ve had a very cruel lesson as to what the virulence of this virus can achieve and how it can have such a significant impact on our health. With great caution I think we can be very hopeful that within nine or twelve months we would have a sense of normality back to our lives,” she said.

Covid-19 deaths in Galway now total 108, an increase of 13 in the three weeks to March5, according to the latest data from Central Statistics Office. Mayo has recorded a further twelve deaths, bringing its total to 164. Roscommon has had 45 deaths, bringing the total casualties in the West so far to 317.

But confirmed Covid cases continue to tumble in Galway.

Read the full story as we look back over a year of Covid in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now – or you can download our digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie