Athlone has one of the lowest rates of COVID-19 in the State

Athlone had almost the lowest rate of COVID-19 cases per population in the country in the last fortnight.

Figures published last night for the State's 166 local electoral areas show that the Athlone electoral area of Westmeath had the second lowest rate per population of new cases in the country and the Athlone electoral area of Roscommon the third lowest.

There were 115 new cases of the virus recorded in the Athlone electoral area of Westmeath between December 29 and January 12, official figures show. This equals a rate of 506.8 per 100,000 population for that 14-day period. This effectively means around one in every 200 people in the area was confirmed positive during that fortnight.

The national average rate is 1,410.3 cases per 100,000 and only the Dungarvan local electoral of Waterford, at 492.8 per 100,000 had a lower rate than Athlone.

On the Roscommon side of the River Shannon, there were 106 new cases of COVID-19 recorded in the same 14-day period, giving an incidence rate in the Athlone electoral area of Roscommon per 100,000 population of 530.8. This is the third lowest in the country.

The fortnightly figures are published weekly on a rolling basis (last week's figures covered the period from December 22 to January 5). Last week, Covid-19 rates in the two Athlone local electoral areas were among the ten lowest in the country so there is a consistency in Athlone's performance.

Whether the absence of a test centre in close proximity to either of the Athlone electoral areas is impacting on the official figures is unclear.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the region, there were 131 new cases in the Moate electoral area, which 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.

This represents a rate of 710.3 cases per 100,000 over the 14 days, the second lowest among Westmeath's four local electoral areas.

The Kinnegad area had the county's highest rate on a population basis (848.9) after reporting 184 cases. There were 203 new cases in the Mullingar local electoral area giving a rate of 782 per 100,000.

Across the remainder of Co. Roscommon, the electoral area around Roscommon town reported the highest rates in the county. There were 302 new cases there between December 29 and January 12, giving a rate of 1,328.4 per 100,000 population.

There were 241 new cases in the Boyle electoral area, representing a rate of 1,103.9 per 100,000.

The seven electoral areas in Westmeath and Roscommon all recorded rates per population below the national average.

In neighbouring areas to this region, there were 142 new cases in the Ballymahon electoral area, giving a rate per 100,000 of 1,003.3 – the biggest in Longford county.

The Tullamore electoral area showed a rate of 967.1 per 100,000 (282 cases) and the Birr electoral area was at 730.1 per 100,000 (186 cases).

BOTTOM FIVE AREAS NATIONALLY (rate per 100,000 population)

Dungarvan, Waterford 492.8

Athlone, Westmeath 506.8

Athlone, Roscommon 530.6

Arklow, Wicklow 530.8

Conamara North, Galway 593.3

TOP FIVE AREAS

Belmullet, Mayo 6,032

Dundalk South, Louth 3,789

Adare-Rathkeale, Limerick 3,118

Tramore, Waterford 3,107

Ballybay-Clones, Monaghan 3,054