Ireland's worst Covid hotspot where locals are 'confused' by what's happening and looking for direction Irish Mirror 3 hrs ago David Kent A Councillor for the Tullamore area has hit out at the Government for a "lack of direction" as the Midlands town continues to struggle in the fight against Covid-19. The most recent update from the HSE shows that the incidence rate in the county town of Offaly stands at 823.1 cases per 100,000 population. That's over five times the national average of 164.1 and a far cry from the pre-Christmas low of 85.7 cases per 100k in the area. However, the people of Tullamore aren't behaving any differently to those in other areas of the country, according to local councillor Ken Smollen.