Three local electoral areas among ten best performing for COVID-19
Moate had the second lowest rate of COVID-19 per population in the country during a recent 14-day period, official Government figures have shown.
Department of Health statistics on the rate of COVID-19 in each of the State’s 166 electoral areas published before the weekend show that there were 46 new confirmed cases in the Moate electoral area of Westmeath in the period from January 12 to January 25. This equates to a rate of 249.4 per 100,000.
Across the republic, only Carrick-on-Shannon in Leitrim recorded a lower rate, at 211.2 per 100,000 during that fortnight.
The national average rate in the same period was 721.1 per 100,000, while Belmullet in Mayo remained the country’s worst-hit area with a rate of 2,007.9 per 100,000.
The fortnightly figures are published weekly on a rolling basis (last week's figures covered the period from January 5 to January 18)
Moate has improved from the fifth lowest in the country in last week’s figures to the second lowest this time around.
The Moate electoral area covers Moate, Mount Temple, Tang, Drumraney and Ballymore, and stretches south east as far as Tyrrellspass, north as far as Rathowen and east to the outskirts of Mullingar.
It is not the only local region to feature amongst the areas with the ten lowest rates of COVID-19.
The Athlone part of Roscommon continues to have the seventh lowest rate in the country, with a rate of 285.3 per 100,000, having reported 57 new confirmed cases during the fortnight in question. The Athlone electoral area of Roscommon has been consistently among those with the lowest rates. It also had the seventh lowest rate last week, and the third lowest the week prior to that.
The Ballymahon area of Longford, with the fifth lowest rate in the country, appears in the bottom ten for the first time in recent months. It had a rate of 254.4 per 100,000, after reporting 36 new cases.
The Westmeath side of Athlone has dropped out of the bottom ten for the first time since the New Year. However, its rate of 299.7 per 100,00 puts it in eleventh position, after 68 new cases occurred.
It represents a slight deterioration for the Athlone electoral of Westmeath which was fourth lowest last week and second lowest the week before.
The Kinnegad area had Westmeath’s highest rate on a population basis (512.1) after reporting 111cases. There were 103 new cases in the Mullingar local electoral area giving a rate of 392.9 per 100,000.
Across the remainder of Co. Roscommon, the electoral area around Roscommon town reported the highest rates in the county. There were 116 new cases there between January 12 and January 25, giving a rate of 510.2 per 100,000 population.
In Boyle, there were 79 new cases, a rate of 361.9 per 100,000.
Bottom Ten
Rate per 100,000 population (January 12-25)
Carrick-on-Shannon, Leitrim 211.2
Moate, Westmeath 249.4
Conamara North, Galway 2501.
Lismore, Waterford 251.8
Ballymahon, Longford 254..4
Sligo-Drumcliff, Sligo 282.9
Athlone, Roscommon 285.3
Kenmare, Kerry 291.3
Kilrush, Clare 295.3
Manorhamilton, Leitrim 295.7
Top Five
Rate per 100,000 population (January 12-25)
Belmullet, Mayo 2,007.9
Monaghan, Monaghan 1,762.5
Enniscorthy, Wexford 1,614.5
Ballybay-Clones, Monaghan 1,501
Dundalk South, Louth, 1,436.7